From: Harvey Newstrom (mail@HarveyNewstrom.com)
Date: Sun Aug 11 2002 - 14:20:30 MDT
On Sunday, August 11, 2002, at 01:16 pm, J Corbally wrote:
> Well, as of yesterday afternoon I'm officially on the downward spiral
> of senescence, as I've hit the illustrious 3 decade mark with a
> vengence. Denture and spectacle fittings on Monday (assuming I can get
> out of bed, that is).
There are two ways of considering how much time one has left in one's
natural life span. The old way which is depressing, and the new way
which is dynamically optimistic. In former generations, many people
died when they reached 60. Thirty years old could be considered
half-way. Forty years old seems even worse. Fifty years old was once
considered retirement age. Under the old paradigm, you should probably
start feeling depressed by now.
But wait! It's time for a new paradigm! It is misleading to claim that
you have lived 30 years when barely a third of that time was as an
adult. Your first decade as a child, and your second decade as a
teenager, were not as a fully formed adult. You had to learn to walk,
learn to talk, learn to read and write, learn to interact with others,
learn to drive, learn to live, learn to love, get a job, and move out on
your own. You didn't really start living independently or making your
accomplishments until adulthood. Virtually all of your life experiences
and accomplishments have been within the span of a single decade as an
adult. Your entire "adult life span" actually consists of that single
decade.
As such, I do not consider you to be half-way through life. You are
merely finishing your first decade of adult life. Your next decade will
be like another entire adult life span for you. You will do as much if
not more in your second "adult life span" than you did in your first.
By the time you reach 40, you will be ready to take on your third adult
life span. Your 50s will be your fourth adult life span. Your 60s will
be your fifth adult life span. With proper diet and modern health care,
your 70s and 80s will be your sixth and seventh adult life spans. If
you are long-lived, your 90s and 100s will be your eighth and ninth
adult life spans. If life-extension techniques really work to get you
to 120 and beyond, you could see your tenth adult life span and beyond.
Using only current technology, and not counting on any breakthroughs in
the next century, you may only be 10% into your adult life span. As
such, you should be considered a child by Extropian standards. You only
have a little experience. You aren't old enough to run for president
yet. You have much more adult time ahead of you than you have behind
you. Your future decades will multiply by a magnitude your past
accomplishments. You have only just begun.
-- Harvey Newstrom, CISSP <www.HarveyNewstrom.com> Principal Security Consultant <www.Newstaff.com>
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