Future Self: Being Old Isn't An Excuse

This is to my future self more than to anyone else.

There will never be a time when you cannot learn. When you cannot do more. When you cannot connect to the people, places, and things near you and beyond.

As a small child, I marveled at my grandparents on my mother's side. "Dave and Nana" we called them, as they despised being labeled as 'grand' anything. It kept them young, and despite their age, they helped instill in me a sense that I could accomplish anything I wanted to - whenever I wanted to.

So often these days, I feel like I'm surrounded by mediocrity. Often times it comes from the elders of today. Now, to the many I do not encounter but see on TV or in media who are out there doing things, this isn't aimed at you. But for some of them - the ones I have interactions with - I can only keep telling myself one thing to keep sane when dealing with them.

Never give up on yourself, and always be willing to improve.

I'm going through my day and part of my duties involves interacting and communicating with people across the country. On a daily basis, these interactions range from funny, to helpful, to frustrating, and back again. I enjoy the work I do, but there are times when I pause my day to contemplate the person on the other end of the email.

"I can't log into this website. Please help."

"No problem! Here's the site, your login info, and if you want to make changes, here's your profile to do so."

"Thanks!"

A couple of hours later...

"That didn't work. Please help."

"Okay - note that the login info is case-sensitive. So be sure to enter the details exactly, or just copy/paste it from this email."

"Great, thanks."

An hour later...

"Still not logged in. Getting frustrated. Your site is confusing."

"Alright - apologies, but here's a screenshot of exactly where to put this info, and here are the login details again."

"Nope. Didn't work. I want a refund - cancel my account."

I take a moment to try to think of some way - any way - to further help this person and save them from canceling. I get another email.

"You do realize that many of the people on this site are old, right? Right?????????"

I pause again. I begin to put myself in this person's shoes, sitting at his computer, frustratingly typing and re-typing, and somehow still not getting logged into the site. I think of what I would do in that situation. I wonder about their life, and what led them to this moment. How much they've probably seen and experienced.

But it's the year 2022. Even those approaching their eighties have, at some point, been introduced if not taught the basics of computers. If it were 2002, or even 2012, it would make more sense to me.

So I wonder again, specifically about the last 10-20 years of this person's life. How they somehow have managed to avoid the intricacies of technology, how they probably still have a hard-line phone in their home. How they probably have a CPU built during the aughts, and have their daughters, sons, nieces, or nephews handle anything remotely technological that rose to popularity after Clinton left office.

And then I quietly wonder to myself: is this me in forty years?

Will the technology of the 2060's, should I be fortunate to live that long, be as foreign to me as the tech of the 2000's is for my email friend? Will I feel like I need a small army of younglings to tackle the simplest of electronic tasks? Or because I was raised during such a technological boom period, will I be more predisposed to accepting and understanding technology in my ripe old age?

I quickly realized that wasn't the point. It wasn't the point at all.

It's not about technology. It's about a willingness to continue. To learn, to be accepting, to realize the world is going to continue on whether I'm aware of it or not. I realize this now, before I turn forty. Does that realization help me so that, as I age, I will be spared the same fate as my email friend?

So, future self, here's a note for you, from your 38-year-old self. Growing old isn't an excuse. You can age physically - there's little stopping that. You could stand to eat healthier, and stick to that Yoga man!

But you cannot stop learning. You cannot stop growing. And you cannot stop being. If you do, you'll perish as sure as the sun sets every day. It may not happen overnight, but you'll wither until all that's left is the breath escaping and re-entering your lungs.

There's no excuse. It's a choice. To be, or not to be. Yes, I am quite certain someone famous said that once. So...live. Don't be the email guy.

And never stop being part of the world around you.