It should come as no surprise that we who are old spend a lot of time thinking about what is different about youth and age. Less is written by really old people, it would seem, perhaps because they really don't think there is an audience for what they have to say. Young people can't really write about it because they have not experienced it nor are accurate when they apply their youthful fantasies to what it might mean.
When you are young, you search out people because it is only through feedback from others that you really find out who you are and define yourself. When you are old, you know yourself and care less about what other people think. This is why old people can stand themselves and like to be alone more...not to suffer fools, boredom, and being misunderstood. Thoughts can be enjoyed. The past is to be remembered, hopefully with most memories enjoyed. To the young, the past has barely begun to happen. Theirs waits for the future.
If the past is remembered happily, it makes life having been worth living. Those who dwell on the painful past are doomed to an unhappy old age. Those who cannot stop trying to change what has already happened suffer forever. Those who cannot turn back the clock and accept that old age will happen, prepare yourself as best you can for it. Those who don't will also suffer.
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