A Matter of Time

Age Effects our Perception of Time

"Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." Satchel Paige

Age is one of the subjects that always seems to be on people’s minds. Saying things like “I wish I could do it all again!” or “If I only knew then what I know now!” or “I’m not as young as I used to be!” all indicate a sense of longing for youth, or a sense of nostalgic remembrance of a time long gone. People often don’t want others to know how old they are.  Some try to reverse the aging process through excessive use of cosmetics, wearing the “newest thing,” or even indulging in plastic surgery.  Lots of people turn to religion when they’re older, hoping for a sense of peace or some serene understanding of the aging process. Why does time have such a significant impact on the way that we think, especially as we grow older?  Could it be, perhaps, because we begin to realize that the amount of time we have is limited?  Surely living within the time constraints of birth and death gives us our own varying perspective on how that time—our lives—should be spent.

“For age is opportunity no less
Than youth itself, though in another dress,
And as the evening twilight fades away,
The sky is filled with stars invisible by day.”
-H.W. Longfellow “Morituri Salutamus,” 1875

Maybe there is some logic behind the mad rush for more of everything that seems to consume us as we get older.  During an individual’s youth, the world seems as though it is lying at his feet with all of his options spread out before him.  The youth may even feel as if he has an endless supply of time available to attain these goals. As life moves on and he grows older, a sense of worry tends to develop as these aspirations seem to demand more time than he finds he has to give.  This leads to what has often been called a midlife crisis. Originally suggested by Carl Jung, who is also famous for his work with personality types, the midlife crisis generally hits people in their forties, give or take a decade. Despite their negative nature, midlife crises are a normal part of maturing, as are counseling and major-life-changes (Team). Though midlife crises are a natural process that are usually brought on when we become bored or discontent with our lives, they can also be brought on by external variables. Incurring debt or losing a loved one can make us begin questioning our life’s direction and purpose—the same behavior that characterizes a midlife crisis.

The fact that we begin to get psychologically confused about our identity and we sense that time is moving faster than it used to, may not be totally a product of our imagination.   At age ten, a year is 10% of your life. Summer vacations can seem to last forever. At age fifty, a year shrinks to a mere 2% of one’s entire life span.  At that age, summers tend to feel shorter. The recurring cycles of the seasons can blur together, making the passing of time from one to the other less distinctive and harder to remember.  Therefore, time seems to pass more quickly as we get older.  A particular amount of time—such as a year—may seem as though it is actually moving faster because it is worth less in comparison to a whole lifespan.

“Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.”
-Samuel Ullman

Would Juan Ponce de Leon have made use of plastic surgery if he were alive today?  He sailed with Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493, but instead of returning to Spain with Columbus, Leon stayed in what is now the Dominican Republic.  He later became the first European to reach Florida in 1513.  He was searching for, among other things, the legendary fountain of youth.  He is not the only one who has ever had a preoccupation with staying, or once again becoming, young.  Since the time when a mythical water fountain was ones best hope, we have made significant advances in the art of cosmetic surgery, which allows individuals to alter various parts of their body to their own personal satisfaction—with plenty of associated costs and risks. People can have surgery to help lose weight, tuck a tummy, lift an arm, or remove hair, spider veins, or tattoos. Women can have breast lifts and breast reductions, and men can have pectoral implants. There does not seem to be a part of the face that can’t be changed: eyelid surgery, brow lifts, chin and cheek implants, face lifts, nose jobs, ear surgery, lip augmentation, various kinds of skin care (technically, even things like sunscreen) and permanent make-up are all options. The most obvious attempts at age reversal are those procedures associated with wrinkle reduction or removal, such as botox, collagen, dermabrasion, and thermage.  These are simply slightly different means to the same end –people want to look like they did when they were twenty. Though these techniques originated from procedures initially performed on soldiers with war injuries or babies with birth defects, there is a widespread shift in their use to often needless and excessive self-improvement.

How old is old, anyway? Old age is not a disease, by any stretch of the imagination.  More often than not, it is defined by the standards of society, rather than any sort of physiological problem.  Normally hearing starts to disintegrate when a person reaches his mid-forties, while smell doesn’t usually worsen until one is in their seventies.  Some fortunate individuals progress into their later years with no noticeable loss in any of their five senses.  Contrary to public belief, there are no clinically recognized changes that occur in a person when he reaches sixty-five, further emphasizing the effect society has on the mindset of the masses. Why should everyone retire at that age?  Along with physical ailments and worry, age is said to bring wisdom. Though certainly not all youth are ignorant and not all aged are wise, the added benefit of experience makes old age a time for teaching.  It also leads to a stronger sense of nostalgia—a word stemming from the Greek roots nostos (returning home) and algos (pain or longing). The term, which once stood for a fear of never seeing ones homeland again, is more often used now to reflect a sense of remembrance.  Looking back and being able to remember and laugh about all of things that have happened—even the not-so-great ones—is one of features inherent in the ever exciting process of growing older.

100 Years

By: Five for Fighting, 2004

I’m fifteen for a moment    …            … …            Caught in between ten and twenty
And I’m just dreaming      … … …            Counting the ways to where you are

I’m twenty-two for a moment    …            She feels better than ever
And we’re on fire                                …            Making our way back from Mars

Fifteen there’s still time for you           
Time to buy and time to lose
Fifteen, there’s never a wish better than this           
When you only got a hundred years to live

I’m thirty-three for a moment               …            Still the man but you see I’m a “they.”
A kid on the way, babe            …            A family on my mind

I’m forty-five for a moment                   …            The sea is high
And I’m heading through a crisis …            Chasing the years of my life

Fifteen there’s still time for you
Time to buy and time to lose yourself
Within a morning star

Fifteen I’m all right with you
Fifteen, there’s never a wish better than this
When you only got a hundred years to live

 

Half time goes by                   …                         Suddenly you’re wise
Another blink of an eye     …                         Sixty-seven is gone
The sun is getting high      …                        We’re moving on

I’m ninety-nine for a moment              …            Dying just for another moment
And I’m just dreaming            …            Counting the ways to wear you are

Fifteen, there’s still time for you …            Twenty-two I feel her too
Thirty-three you’re on your way …            Everyday is a new day

Fifteen, there’s still time for you
Time to buy and time to choose
Hey, fifteen, there’s never a wish better than this
When you only got a hundred years to live

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