Youth

[celestialinter0]

Youth is not a time of life, it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees;it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.

Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease.This often exists in a man of 60 more than a boy of 20. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.

Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear,self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.

Whether 60 or 16, there is in every human being's heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing childlike appetite of what's next and the joy of the game of living.

In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station: so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the Infinite, so long are you young.

When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at 20. But as long as your aerials are up, to catch waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at 80.

[not_for_sale2025]

Basically I agree with you. But with some older people the heart and mind may be youthful, but the body is unable to fulfill the "appetite for adventure".  Aging brings a lot more than wrinkled skin! This can be quite sad really because it serves as a constant reminder that we are confined within our anatomy despite our drives and aspirations. Personally, I think it would be even sadder  to die at 80 while feeling young at heart.

[papermoon.lady]

I am afraid nfs might be right.

You mention "60" as old, and yes, I guess at 60 people can still do things because in Australia 60 is not really "old", but at 80 for example the possibilities are far more limited, let alone at 90.

Maybe there should be adventures for the really old - adequate to their age, like picnics, or bus excursions, although those with serious health problems might not be able to do even that.

On the other hand, I have read of really old people doing great things.

David Attenborough is still active in his 90s, although obviously he cannot do what he did when he was younger.

[springyzone]

I don't agree that youth is simply a state of mind and not a time of life.

The very definition of youth is the state of being young, synonym childhood.

Youth, in itself, has absolutely nothing to do with enthusiasm or adventure or worry or power or any of those things.

It's a time of transition and growing, for sure. A time of new experiences.

The thing with youth though, is it is soon over. There's a definite time limit on it and I would say that time limit is about the 25 mark or soon afterwards.

People today would like to pretend they are in their youth till they are about 40 but that (to me) is rubbish.

The brain up to the age of 12 does not have all the connections developed. Children are not able to understand eg philosophy on an adult level. The brain up to about mid 20s in males especially, has still not developed all the filters that would stop an older person from extreme risk taking.

After about 24 or 25, you're not in your youth. You're in the midst of life though and with adult life there come responsibilities and sometimes worries. If you have children, it can mean you can't take the risks or live the lifestyle you did when younger. It's not necessarily about losing your spark, it is about moving on to the next phase of life.

I guess you can tell I am a bit against this idolisation of youth in our society.

There's nothing wrong with growing older, it is part of the natural order.

What we should be aiming for is to lead the best life we can at any age; to have hobbies or activities that give us pleasure, to never stop learning, to enjoy the world around us. I think that is what you were actually trying to say.

I find the definition above of 'whether 16 or 60' to be a bit off. I don't think at 16, most people are at the peak of the 'game of living'. Most of them have barely started. And 60 is certainly not old as such (although a lot of people-children and adults alike- are dead before then, my brother pased at 58).

By about 75 to 80 though, the physical body is usually starting to slow down and have problems that the average 20 year old has never faced. There's nothing wrong with a life of ease, just sitting in the sun, or a walk in the park, if that's what makes an older person happy.

So, make the best of what we have at any age, but please don't insult people by saying we have to pursue 'youth'. Every age is an achievement.

[papermoon.lady]

I live between the beach and the Botanic Garden and you are so right, springy - I see many elderly people go for a walk, or just sitting in the sun, and they look happy, which is what we all want.

Yesterday about 10 metres from the traffic lights, the light turned green and I don't like to run because I get asthma when I run, and I wanted to go for a walk in the Botanic Garden (as I posted in the other thread), so I didn't want to get an asthma attack. Next to me there was a man who looked quite old, definitely over 75 I would say, probably even over 80. He started to run and managed to get to other side of the road while the light was green. 

Years ago, maybe 10 years ago or so, there was a lady who was over 90 (I think 93-94, if I remember correctly) who was so active and lively it was amazing. And she was always happy and even joked a lot. Sadly they told me she died because that's our end. Even the Queen died just a bit older, and I guess she received the best possible medical treatment. We don't live forever.

There was also another lady probably around 90 who was such a fine lady, always well dressed and with a hat matching her dress. In summer she also had an umbrella to protect herself from the sun (sort of a sun parasol). She went everywhere too, in particular places where there was some fun, like Australia Day. I haven't seen her for quite a while, but with COVID etc. I haven't gone out much myself. I don't know if she is still alive, but she seemed to really enjoy life.

[daydreams_12]

Just spotted this thread and found it interesting and just had to add my own observations.

I am female, mid 70s, still work & drive a truck - all part time.  I have a lot of colleagues who envy what I am able to do.  I have had quite a few serious health setbacks but will myself to keep going.  I realise that one day this will all not be possible.  While it is why not do it?

14 years ago I lost my only child who at 38 had 4 kids and I had no choice to push through it all.  It was not easy but no way would I let my daughter's death be in vain.

Of cause I have my moments but life is what you make it.  Would have been easy many times to say - I can't do this but get up next day and do it all again.

We are gone for a long time so why not enjoy and make the most of the years that we have here. 

I believe I owe it to my g'kids and g.g'kids to do for them what their mother would have done had she been here.

Sorry to sound like I am on a soap box but feel too many people give up too easily.

Long live you all and more to the point  -  ENJOY IT.

[arctoph_49]

Interesting post and replies.

I don't think that the OP wanted to glorify youth (from what I understand).

Her point seems to be that it's all about attitude. What she might miss is that some people can also be happy in a very quiet way, like sitting in the sun, as springyzone said. But maybe sitting in the sun and being content is attitude too.

What is not good is being negative (which can happen at any age).

[twyngwyn]

Champion racewalker Heather Lee holds nine world records. Oh, and she’s 95 years old | 7NEWS

[imastawka]

 

[papermoon.lady]

https://people.com/sports/100-year-old-runner-holds-world-records-still-lacing-up/