Getting Old in the 21st Century
Do you often think about getting old? A friend and I were talking recently about our respective elderly relatives. I was talking about how mentally sharp my grandmother still is at age 90, while while my friend related how his elderly grandmother now suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and often cannot recognize her own family members. After a pause, he said “I hope I never live that long!”
According to World Bank statistics, the average world lifespan has increased from 52 years in 1960 to 69 years today. (Google Public Data) That’s an extra 17 years! But are we living better or just longer? How are we using these extra years of time?
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I admit that I am on YouTube and other entertainment sites often myself. And there’s nothing wrong with watching a funny video or reading an interesting article. But doesn’t there seem to be an increase in the amount of frivolous content which is considered important? How much of the news is actually “news” and not just trivial tibits about famous people?
Maybe I’m just getting old too. I feel almost like I’m yelling at kids to get off my lawn. My, uh, virtual lawn. My Farmville lawn, if that helps you.
Does anyone know what I’m talking about? Am I off base here? Do you too sometimes feel like there’s too much frivolity in the world, and you are looking for something more meaningful? It may seem ironic to point you towards another website featuring videos at this point, but our partner site Soul Cravings featuring Erwin McManus touches on many of these themes of purpose and meaning, regardless of whether you consider yourself young, old, or young-at-heart.
