How Old is Old?

How Old is Old?

Ok, so I just turned 28 today.

To someone in their 40s, I'm considered "young."

To one of my students, I'm "well-established in my career, for a young person."

To a teenager, I'm ancient.

That makes me wonder.. how old IS old, anyway? I think I may prefer the term "older" because it's relative.

Like, if my 65 year old friend said he's "old", a 90 year old would say "fiddlesticks!"

And the phrase "you're as young as you feel" only highlights the misuse of "old" to mean "not fun."

And "youthful" is similarly mis-used to mean "fun-loving and healthy."

I'll have you know that I happen to know several people younger than I am, but less fun and less healthy than I am. So it's not a personality/fun-lovingness thing, it's all about relativity..

But the word still has a slightly negative connotation, as though it's outdated or obsolete or unusable.

Anyway, time for a nap. We "old folks" need them every so often to keep up our strength!

(Hehe. :)

 
Sally Bishai
Editor-In-Chief
:.X:.Culture Magazine
www.xculturemag.com

Updated Daily! The AntiSocialite @ www.sallybishai.com

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