(no subject)
A couple of years ago I was reading an interview with Ian McKellan (Gandalf, Magneto) about the "best years of your life". He said that a lot of people think there is a gradual decline of good times as you get older. He basically went on to state that this mindset is very naive, and that while it may be true for some people, it isn't true for everyone.
I hear people telling themselves and other people that "these are the best days of our lives". I can agree with that. When you are young, you are idealistic, energetic, and "cool". You aren't totally ignorant about life, but you aren't world-weary either. It's a great place to be, and very conducive to the "best years" label.
Now, lets look at it differently.
I was watching Two-a-Days a few weeks ago, and it was a part where like three of the guys were all hanging out at one of their houses playing cards. They were talking about a loss to a low-ranked team, and how bad the subsequent practices sucked. The part I laughed at was when they followed every complaint with something like, "well, these are the best days of our lives, you know, so we might as well suck it up and go on...". Okay, great morale boost, nice thought. But did he really believe that, or was he telling himself that because he's been told that by everyone all of his life? It almost seemed forced.
I think that my question is, what if these aren't the best days we'll live while we're here? What if, when you are 85 and on the decline, you look back on your life and see that your high school and college days were outshone by the first fifteen years of your retirement that you spent with your wife and grandchildren? Putting that kind of pressure on a few years of your young life almost counteracts the fun you are supposed to be having.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say that these times won't be your favorite memories, or be a buzz kill or anything. I'll probably look back and see that I did have the most fun at this part of my life. I also like to think that it could get better.
Pretty much, I'm having a blast where I am now, and I had a blast during my senior year of high school. And, being the optimist that I am, I'm looking forward to the blast-having that I'll be doing later on in life.
I hear people telling themselves and other people that "these are the best days of our lives". I can agree with that. When you are young, you are idealistic, energetic, and "cool". You aren't totally ignorant about life, but you aren't world-weary either. It's a great place to be, and very conducive to the "best years" label.
Now, lets look at it differently.
I was watching Two-a-Days a few weeks ago, and it was a part where like three of the guys were all hanging out at one of their houses playing cards. They were talking about a loss to a low-ranked team, and how bad the subsequent practices sucked. The part I laughed at was when they followed every complaint with something like, "well, these are the best days of our lives, you know, so we might as well suck it up and go on...". Okay, great morale boost, nice thought. But did he really believe that, or was he telling himself that because he's been told that by everyone all of his life? It almost seemed forced.
I think that my question is, what if these aren't the best days we'll live while we're here? What if, when you are 85 and on the decline, you look back on your life and see that your high school and college days were outshone by the first fifteen years of your retirement that you spent with your wife and grandchildren? Putting that kind of pressure on a few years of your young life almost counteracts the fun you are supposed to be having.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say that these times won't be your favorite memories, or be a buzz kill or anything. I'll probably look back and see that I did have the most fun at this part of my life. I also like to think that it could get better.
Pretty much, I'm having a blast where I am now, and I had a blast during my senior year of high school. And, being the optimist that I am, I'm looking forward to the blast-having that I'll be doing later on in life.