Older people - How do you define 'young'

[Kirby]

Do you have some kind of date where you define someone as a young person (not a sexual thing, just 'hey, you're too young'). I'm 45, and when I was younger it was if they were alive before Star Wars came out. Later I advanced that to 1984, or more of less when the Kenny Loggins/Steve Perry song 'Don't Fight It' came out. Now it's 1990, when I graduated college. Does anyone else have an old/young Mendoza line?

 

[bbailey861]

First, how do you define old(er)?

 

[Kirby]

^^ That's changed over the years too. When I was a kid I thought 40 was ancient, but that 'old line' has blurred and it's harder to define what is old. Probably because I'm headed that way and don't really want to face it. I guess I'll say old is an age where they need assistance to take care of themselves.

 

[ManOnTheWave]

First, how do you define old(er)?

This. I think I was 25 when an 18 year old college classmate declared I was old. By contrast, when I was a teenager I seemed to meet gobs of people in their 40s who were still really youthful. It's all relative.

 

[iguana_tonante]

When I was younger, I was old. Now that I'm older, I'm young.

 

[RoJoHen]

I am 28, and for the most part I consider anyone 21 and below to be "young," but that might just be because I work in a bar and 21-year olds are incredibly immature drinkers.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

I'm 33 and sometimes feel old...

 

[JarodRussell]

Do you have some kind of date where you define someone as a young person (not a sexual thing, just 'hey, you're too young').

It must be somewhat of a sexual thing. It was interesting how in the decade between 20 and 30, the 18-25 year old girls suddenly became less attractive because they were too young looking.

 

[Gov Kodos]

I guess I'll say old is an age where they need assistance to take care of themselves.

Quite a few of my students would be old going by this.

 

[Amaris]

I'm 33, and for myself, I feel I am at middle age, just shy of "old." To me, if you are under 30, you are "young." If you are between 30 and 40, you are still young-ish. To be honest, I consider 75+ to be old, I just don't think I'm ever getting there, so for me, 33 is bordering on old.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

You might be surprised, J.

 

[Amaris]

You might be surprised, J.

If my past fortunes are any indication, I doubt it. I used to see life as a mystery, an opportunity to explore what it means to be alive. I wanted to go places I had never been before, and learn great things, to be a part of something wonderful. Now I see it as a dread progression of days in which tedium has claimed any joy I once had. It's all uphill, every moment is a struggle for relevance, and that when I die, I will be alone and forgotten. That last one only bothers me for a moment, as once I'm dead, it won't matter anymore. This is how I see "old" and "young." I will be forever old, until I am dead. Then it won't matter anymore. I'm pretty sure I'll be dead before I ever get the chance to actually live.

 

[RoJoHen]

I'm pretty sure I'll be dead before I ever get the chance to actually live.

I'm sure that attitude is helping.

 

[Amaris]

I'm pretty sure I'll be dead before I ever get the chance to actually live.

I'm sure that attitude is helping.

I get what you're saying, but in this case, a happy attitude just makes that confining cage a gilded one. I'll still be completely aware that I'm trapped.

 

[RoJoHen]

Too vague for me to offer any real advice.

 

[Amaris]

Too vague for me to offer any real advice.

There is no advice, really. It's just one of those situations where one loses terribly, regardless of one's decision.

 

[RoJoHen]

Sounds like you need to Kobayashi Maru your life.

 

[Amaris]

Sounds like you need to Kobayashi Maru your life.

If only it were that easy to reprogram the simulator.

 

[Gojira]

I just turned 50 and I still cannot believe I am that "old" because I do not feel old.

 

[Melakon]

I'm surrounded by youngsters here. When I was 30, I used to think anyone born after JFK died was an idiot (that would have been people 18 and under). I've met a few people over the last 30-odd years since then, which caused me to withdraw that theory. These days, I tend to think anyone more than 10 years younger than me is young.