Some people consider those over 40 years of age "over the hill."
While this might be relatively true I can say I feel better in my 40's than in my 20's. Some people do not understand this. They ask, "how can this be?" It depends what factors you consider in the "feel better" part.
It does not been in terms of energy or risk taking or approaching the unknown. Rather it is about having lived through life's ups and downs.
Since the posts in this blog are about adding meaning to life the topic of aging should certainly be included somewhere. For this post I have included a personal list of why being older is preferred to being younger. For this post "younger" refers to being in the early 20's.
Being older is better because a person has:
1. been through the "ringer" and, thus, more seasoned.
By middle age most people have experienced difficulty in one way or another in life and came out an "improved" person because of it.
2. established themselves more.
At a younger age you do not have as much of a work history, references or as much in your portfolio.
3. started to realize that your problems are not unique.
At a younger age some problems seem like they will never end. As one ages they start to realize that whatever they are going through many others have gone through it before and you can refer to what they did.
4. less of a need to fit in and more of a need to be who you are.
At a younger age humans tend to want to fit it with the in crowd. At an older age one does not have to think so much about impressing others, as that is not what is important in life.
5. been made aware of the presence of God.
This might not be the case with everybody. From personal experience this happened at an age that was late in life. At a younger age people do not tend to look at things this way. However, realizing God is in charge can help a person get through difficult times.
6. learned to appreciate things like health instead of things like status.
At a younger age what is important are things like having an impressive job title or a nice car. As one gets older they should learn there are other priorities in life, such as relationships and your health.
7. noticed that this world is full of evil, but there are also "pockets of good", if you look.
If one looks at the news on a given day one can see the world is full of evil. However, with a spiritual base a person can also realize there are genuinely good things and people (who are not perfect).
Older Is Better
Some people might disagree with some of these statements, as they are mostly opinions.
Even though some people do not believe it in this author's opinion older CAN be better.
This adds meaning to life because: If you asked most people they would probably rather be young again, given the chance. However, this is not the case for everyone. It shows that things are not always as they seem at first.
You might also be interested in:
What I Would Change
Older Adults And Religion
Contentment Increases As We Age