2015年5月22日星期五

Floating Age Discrimination

When you reach your seventies,
you are regarded as old by those 
in their sixties, fifties, forties, thirties, twenties, 
and even younger individuals.

In your sixties,
you are treated as old by those 
in their fifties, forties, thirties, twenties, 
and younger.

At fifty,
you are perceived as old by those 
in their forties, thirties, twenties, and younger.

In your forties,
you are viewed as old by those 
in their thirties, twenties, and younger.

Even in your thirties,
you are seen as old by those 
in their twenties and younger.

However, in reality, those in their thirties 
are quite young 
considering the average life expectancy today!

It's unfortunate that people in their thirties 
face age discrimination!

So, you always seem old in the eyes of 
the younger generation!

***

But when it comes to your own perception of age,
it feels very different:

When you are in your seventies,
you still see yourself as young 
because you feel younger than 
many in their eighties or older.

In your sixties,
you perceive yourself as still young 
because you are younger than 
many in their seventies or older.

At fifty,
you view yourself as young 
because you are younger than 
many in their sixties or older.

In your forties,
you feel young 
because you are younger than 
many in their fifties or older.

When you are in your thirties,
you undoubtedly see yourself as young 
since those in their thirties are 
indeed quite young
given the average life expectancy today!

But no one knows how long their life will be,
and there is certainly 
no age discrimination at the doorstep of Death!


______ 




The Beatles - When you are sixty four

When I get older losing my hair
Many years from now
Will you still be sending me a Valentine
Birthday greetings bottle of wine
If I'd been out till quarter to three
Would you lock the door
Will you still need me, will you still feed me
When I'm sixty-four
You'll be older too
And if you say the word
I could stay with you
I could be handy, mending a fuse
When your lights have gone
You can knit a sweater by the fireside
Sunday mornings go for a ride
Doing the garden, digging the weeds
Who could ask for more
Will you still need me, will you still feed me
When I'm sixty-four
Every summer we can rent a cottage
In the Isle of Wight, if it's not too dear
We shall scrimp and save
Grandchildren on your knee
Vera, Chuck and Dave
Send me a postcard, drop me a line
Stating point of view
Indicate precisely what you mean to say
Yours sincerely, wasting away
Give me your answer, fill in a form
Mine for evermore
Will you still need me, will you still feed me
When I'm sixty-four

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