You strike me as the type who will be reaching for the botox and the fillers well before you reach that "old" age.
To you I'd make the same point as above. That comment is quite bizarre though, I never expressed any opinion about physical appearance (but FWIW I hate such products so you're quite wrong)
I turned 60 just a few weeks ago, and I can say that it was/is the birthday that has given me the most 'dread' in my entire life,
As I said to my elderly in-laws (who tell me I am silly) while 60 may not be "old" by today's standards, it's certainly not young any more,
I think it is a generational thing, to my parents, (both born in the early 1930s) 60 was certainly considered as 'getting on' but these days it's more like late middle aged,
I lost my mother when she was 49 to an illness and my father died at 63, and his father (my grandfather) at 62, but they all had very different lives and upbringings to mine, the lived through a world war, my grandfather lived through 2, and fought in one, and was a miner in the other, and they were all adult before we had anything like the NHS,
and I often hear of people in their early 60s who pass being referred to as "still young" but almost always by people who are much older, and rarely by people who are much younger, it's all relative I suppose,
I mean at 60 you still have 5 years to go before you reach the state pension age,
there is a degree of ageism as well, many people, because they are young, assume that they will die old, sadly over the years I have lost many friends due to accidents or illness and quite a few of them never saw 30,
So to sum up, I would say that these days 60-70, while certainly not young any more, is no longer the same sort of 'old' that it was 80-100 years ago,
Thanks for that insight which was interesting, fair and reasonable.
(and not clouded by bitterness like some )
I think agree in that generally it's not the old age it might once have been seen as, but I think the attitude change has went a bit too far for some, hence all the "young" comments. To me there is a ring of denial to it.
I read an article recently that the current generation will be one of the first that die younger than their parents, this was due to huge rises in obesity and several other modern illnesses.
I don't understand then that if we are due to start living shorter lives why at this time that the PM has decided it would be a good time to raise the pension ages.
I think its about 68 for me, my Nan died aged 61 so if I follow in the family footsteps I wont even see a penny of this darn pension I have walloped piles of wages at since leaving school
I wonder if that's what certain people are so touchy about, that they might be seen as old??
I am not touchy about being seen as 'old' to me it's more about 'attitude' and there is something to be said for the expression "it's only a number"
Human beings are the only creatures on the planet who are 'aware' of how many years they have been alive, every other creature just gets on with it,
(and I say this not because I just turned 60, I have said it for decades)
I am 60 years old but still wear jeans and hoodies and am actually sitting here in my 'para boots, a T shirt and 'camo' combats,
(I have given the missus strict instructions to shoot me as soon as I start wearing beige clothing and cardigans)
later this afternoon I will get my (1340 CC) Harley Davidson out for a spin, This is not me 'trying to hang on to my youth' as some judgemental idiots who have never met me sometimes say, it's just me being me,
I have been a biker since the age of 16,(never owned or learned to drive a car) and will continue to ride until either illness or frailty or the reaper force me to stop,
My father in law who was 82 this year still rides a motorbike in the good weather, He is also far fitter than me, and often walks for miles at a time, I on the other hand get 'leg burn' if I walk a couple of hundred yards,
note to self (again) must get fitter, :cool:
The span of a life. In the days that this was coined that was considered to be seventy years.
Origin
Threescore used to be used for sixty, in the way that we still use a dozen for twelve, and (occasionally) score for twenty. It has long since died out in that usage but is still remembered in this phrase.
...
There is a use of it that refers to the span of our lives, in Psalms 90:
The days of our years are threescore years and ten;
and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years,
yet is their strength labor and sorrow;
for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
YOU know how to use a computer?! Say it aint so, ya fossil!
Stop being trying to be so young. Go sit in your rocking chair and stare out of the window. Sheesh, old people nowadays.
Haha no, I have no idea how to use a computer and have got a young person to type this for me while chewing my food for me,
Actually I often post here using my PS3 as well, oh yes I also play video games... at 60, I really should "act my age" hahaha
But on another note, I want to say RIP to Mick Aston,
I don't think 66 is old. But then, it's all relative and my parents are not far short of that.
If they died at 66 yes it would be no age. My Dad wouldn't have even retired then. I doubt they will see grandkids by then (unless I get a massive move on). They still want to travel round the world.
I once had the exact same thought as the OP, and felt a little part of my stomach shrivel in shame...
Do you really think just having lived longer makes one inherently more "right" about something like this? You don't think there's even a hint of denial in the "oh you'll grow out of it" party line?
(I also feel it's worth stressing again that I didn't even say anything about people being "old" in the OP, but about 66 not being "young")
The frontbench parliamentarians of today seem much younger than the late middle-aged men (and odd woman, back then) I recall as being the top flight politicians 35 to 40 years ago. That's one example of how a turn towards youth seems to show itself in society.
Am I the only one getting increasingly bewildered at the general rejection of the traditional attitude to human ageing? It feels like every time an elderly celebrity dies people are queuing up to opine that they were far too young to go yet. This Time Team bloke who was 66 has already attracted the, by now typical, comments of "no age to die" "still a young man" etc. Sixty six!! That's not young!
Is it just more mature people in denial about age or are we becoming a more youthful society in spirit??
I just found out today, that my cousin, who was 56 has just passed away, its really shocking, as I never expect any of my cousins to die so young, and he is the same age as my sister
I read an article recently that the current generation will be one of the first that die younger than their parents, this was due to huge rises in obesity and several other modern illnesses.
I remember seeing that on the six O’clock news, it was the third item and the first item was news about the government raising the state retirement age because we are all living longer.:D
66 may not be physically young, but it's around 20 years below the average age of death in recent years. So yes, it's too young to die in that sense because 20 years is a lot of life lost.
Also, I suppose it just kind of depends on how people live their life. The man from Time Team (whose name I sadly can't remember, no disrespect intended) hardly seemed to have one foot in the grave.
Then there's poor Elisabeth Sladen from Doctor Who, who was at a career peak in her early 60s and looked about 40, and died very suddenly. I don't think anyone would question that she died far too young. It's all relative. Jack LaLanne was over 100 when he died but he had been in such good shape that most people expected him to go on for another 10-15 years.
But anyway, yeah - it's unlucky (at best) to go in your 60s, as the norm is to go a good decade or so afterwards, at least. I think we'd all be pretty shocked if the likes of Tony Blair, Pierce Brosnan or George Bush were to die this afternoon - all men in their 60s.
There's dying young, and there's dying before your time. I would think in a world where the average life expectancy is now somewhere in the 80s, dying at 66 would come under the latter, if not the former.
Comments
You strike me as the type who will be reaching for the botox and the fillers well before you reach that "old" age.
I wonder if that's what certain people are so touchy about, that they might be seen as old??
As I said to my elderly in-laws (who tell me I am silly) while 60 may not be "old" by today's standards, it's certainly not young any more,
I think it is a generational thing, to my parents, (both born in the early 1930s) 60 was certainly considered as 'getting on' but these days it's more like late middle aged,
I lost my mother when she was 49 to an illness and my father died at 63, and his father (my grandfather) at 62, but they all had very different lives and upbringings to mine, the lived through a world war, my grandfather lived through 2, and fought in one, and was a miner in the other, and they were all adult before we had anything like the NHS,
and I often hear of people in their early 60s who pass being referred to as "still young" but almost always by people who are much older, and rarely by people who are much younger, it's all relative I suppose,
I mean at 60 you still have 5 years to go before you reach the state pension age,
there is a degree of ageism as well, many people, because they are young, assume that they will die old, sadly over the years I have lost many friends due to accidents or illness and quite a few of them never saw 30,
So to sum up, I would say that these days 60-70, while certainly not young any more, is no longer the same sort of 'old' that it was 80-100 years ago,
But then,... I would say that wouldn't I?
Wait, wait, wait.
YOU know how to use a computer?! Say it aint so, ya fossil!
Stop being trying to be so young. Go sit in your rocking chair and stare out of the window. Sheesh, old people nowadays.
(and not clouded by bitterness like some
I think agree in that generally it's not the old age it might once have been seen as, but I think the attitude change has went a bit too far for some, hence all the "young" comments. To me there is a ring of denial to it.
According to their profile they are 29.
I don't understand then that if we are due to start living shorter lives why at this time that the PM has decided it would be a good time to raise the pension ages.
I think its about 68 for me, my Nan died aged 61 so if I follow in the family footsteps I wont even see a penny of this darn pension I have walloped piles of wages at since leaving school
I am not touchy about being seen as 'old' to me it's more about 'attitude' and there is something to be said for the expression "it's only a number"
Human beings are the only creatures on the planet who are 'aware' of how many years they have been alive, every other creature just gets on with it,
(and I say this not because I just turned 60, I have said it for decades)
I am 60 years old but still wear jeans and hoodies and am actually sitting here in my 'para boots, a T shirt and 'camo' combats,
(I have given the missus strict instructions to shoot me as soon as I start wearing beige clothing and cardigans)
later this afternoon I will get my (1340 CC) Harley Davidson out for a spin, This is not me 'trying to hang on to my youth' as some judgemental idiots who have never met me sometimes say, it's just me being me,
I have been a biker since the age of 16,(never owned or learned to drive a car) and will continue to ride until either illness or frailty or the reaper force me to stop,
My father in law who was 82 this year still rides a motorbike in the good weather, He is also far fitter than me, and often walks for miles at a time, I on the other hand get 'leg burn' if I walk a couple of hundred yards,
note to self (again) must get fitter,
Used to be.
My retirement age is when I reach my 68th birthday. And the government are considering moving it back further to 70.
Haha no, I have no idea how to use a computer and have got a young person to type this for me while chewing my food for me,
Actually I often post here using my PS3 as well, oh yes I also play video games... at 60, I really should "act my age" hahaha
But on another note, I want to say RIP to Mick Aston,
I once had the exact same thought as the OP, and felt a little part of my stomach shrivel in shame...
If they died at 66 yes it would be no age. My Dad wouldn't have even retired then. I doubt they will see grandkids by then (unless I get a massive move on). They still want to travel round the world.
I'm surprised you are older than me, OP.
(I also feel it's worth stressing again that I didn't even say anything about people being "old" in the OP, but about 66 not being "young")
However the boney chap with the scythe, might not have got the memo.
I just found out today, that my cousin, who was 56 has just passed away, its really shocking, as I never expect any of my cousins to die so young, and he is the same age as my sister
I remember seeing that on the six O’clock news, it was the third item and the first item was news about the government raising the state retirement age because we are all living longer.:D
Also, I suppose it just kind of depends on how people live their life. The man from Time Team (whose name I sadly can't remember, no disrespect intended) hardly seemed to have one foot in the grave.
Then there's poor Elisabeth Sladen from Doctor Who, who was at a career peak in her early 60s and looked about 40, and died very suddenly. I don't think anyone would question that she died far too young. It's all relative. Jack LaLanne was over 100 when he died but he had been in such good shape that most people expected him to go on for another 10-15 years.
But anyway, yeah - it's unlucky (at best) to go in your 60s, as the norm is to go a good decade or so afterwards, at least. I think we'd all be pretty shocked if the likes of Tony Blair, Pierce Brosnan or George Bush were to die this afternoon - all men in their 60s.