THIS IS HOW IT FEELS TO BE THE OLDEST PERSON ALIVE??
Photo by Harli Marten on Unsplash
It is right there on the website: 100% of the people in the world are younger than I am; 0% are older. The French Institute for Demographic Studies told me this. I found it more than a little disconcerting. But could I argue with INED, a public research institute specializing in population studies, working in partnership with national and international academic and research communities?
One teeny reassurance was in the minuscule black tip of the still-alive-and-kicking graph of the world’s population. It looked like there had to be a few remaining others this old. That, plus the fact that I do have an actual friend or two still very much alive in their later 90s.
So I clicked myself over to percentages for the U.S. and lo! the numbers looked a little better: 1% of the people in the U.S. are older, even, than I am. Whew. Do we care if 99% are younger? Nahh, we one-percenters are happy to occupy that tip of the iceberg. At least we, and it, are still clinging to the precipice.
All this came about thanks to my fellow WordPress blogger Neil, who grouses more about being old at 77 than I think should be permissible.
“My status as an ancient has been made crystal clear to me,” Neil wrote, referring to INED’s revelation that 97% of the world’s population is younger than he is. He should grouse? He even admits to being “still nicely functional, still pretty much an ace at stumbling gracefully through life.”
Which brings us back to the whole demographic study business. At no point are the trends going to reverse. However more (or fewer) babies appear in any given 24-hour span, except for those who leave the planet for the hereafter, every one of the rest of us is another day older.
Perhaps the only answer is to ignore wherever we are on the percentage scale and focus on the 24 hours. Aim to do the right things, Neil suggests. Seek justice. Do a little good somewhere. Love your neighbor.
Smile when the sun goes down; it’ll come up tomorrow, whether you and i do . . . or not.
I’m with you on this, Fran.
Thanks Michele, I need all the affirmation I can get 😊 !
Fran dear I know several people ( my friends) 94 and older. What they all have in common is not referring to themselves as old My friends talk about what they’re doing, what places to dine and why, music they are listening to, some new hobby or idea they’ve become interested in. As a 77 year woman I can’t believe this is 77! I’m healthy (sure a bad habit or two) with no picture of dying until 100 years. I guess I should say I feel blessed.
You are DEFINITELY destined for 100, DeborahBabe; you’re a blessing to the planet. I am known for occasionally designating myself Old, but forheavenssakes there’s too much else to talk about to waste any more time on the subject. (Those percentages were fun, though.)
Phil is coming up on 94. Should he be concerned? Neil’s suggestions would work for anyone-even 76 year old me. (How did that happen!?) In the interim between present and future I make a habit of ignoring my age, and have made every effort to get Phil to do the same. Not a practice he would enjoy, but his advanced age may be a consequence of being stubborn.
Tell Phil I am delighted to be Younger Than! Maybe he’s too stubborn to age. Meanwhile, just keep on being your gorgeous young self and the world will be better therefor. ❤️🎵❤️
I’ve said it before: You set a high bar!
Thanks, youngster. Also thanks for the essay inspiration; this was fun. 🙏
From my perspective, you take on life better and with more gusto than many people half you age. 😉 It’s all just numbers.
Thanks, gorgeous. I think it’s my wise choice of young friends 😊
Amusing. Well said, Fran.
❤️❤️❤️
Wish there were a graphic of some kind that showed how MUCH alive some people are: you are off that chart, babe. You are thriving, despite perhaps feeling a bit shriveled from time to time. Your percentile of aliveness is 99.9 almost always. Never mind the years.
Thanks, young friend. I’ll concentrate on my aliveness percentile ☺️