Human obsession with age remains intriguing

I have never understood it and perhaps never will.
Today I had a chance exchange with a colleague who was in his prime when I started working and thought he was immortal. He turned 75 yesterday, long retired, long forgotten. None of the other 4 graduates on our team back then, can remember his surname.

Age is just a figure. It’s a convenient way for humans to limit themselves and place silly expectations on themselves and on others. On the commercial side of the fence, it’s a huge asset; selling clothes that are said to be suited to some age group but not the other etc.

I never ask people I come across for their ages as quite frankly, I couldn’t care less. I see ages in blocks: children (anything from 0 to 12), teenagers (13 to 19), then it’s the 20 – 39 group, 40 – 69 group and the 70 – 100. Those are the 5 groups I see and it is that simple in my view.

We try to map achievements to age and put a sense of “no big deal, the person’s old enough to be a boss or own a car, house etc” or “wow! at that age?”. It really is a conveyor belt. Today you’re the youth, well, give it a wee bit of time and….