Our youth seems to grow longer despite the passing years, giving us opportunities we once did not have. And those who 100 years ago were considered ancient old men turn out to be middle-aged people.
When we learn about an over-aged marathon runner or an 80-year-old student, we realize that we live in very interesting times, when age stereotypes are beginning to crack. By adding years to the average life expectancy, so-called old age is postponed several years ahead. But what does this mean for humanity? When do we become and feel truly old? What additional opportunities do we have today as adults that did not exist before?
The examples of older athletes are very indicative of a change in mentality: longevity makes sense as long as it brings us pleasure and does not push us away from unfulfilled desires. Fauja Singh, now 112 years old, is the world’s oldest marathon runner, having started running at 89 and continuing to run until he was 100 years old. In Greece, Stelios Prassas, who started running marathons at age 59 and has now, at age 92, completed 32 races.
Having identified these new trends related to longevity, NN conducted a longevity study that found that A person in our time can be considered old no earlier than 72 years old.
Our youth is gaining years, providing opportunities that we did not have before. One of the most important trends is the destruction of age prejudices: in earlier times, old age could be an obstacle to the fulfillment of desires, but today the picture is already beginning to change.
As noted in the NN Longevity Survey, while previously people grew up with unfulfilled dreams and desires because neither age nor society itself allowed them to realize them, now they can take the reins into their own hands and make their desires come true. But this requires the right support coupled with thoughtful planning.
In this context, a change of profession is possible even in old age if you invest time and money in additional training. The same is true in the case of training: we remain relevant and informed in our professional field if we systematically study, follow modern trends and new technologies. Moreover, in our time, when the turn of artificial intelligence is increasingly coming, the need for lifelong learning becomes especially relevant. For better or worse, we live in an era of competition, and this should not unsettle us.
Therefore, it is obvious that a meaningful and long life is not a matter of chance. It requires courage and basic – at least – financial preparation. As the study rightly points out, today’s fluidity equips us with the power of change and the confidence that we can take control of life and define it the way we imagine and dream. Greeks already say that 69% of them are ready to live a long life, and 35% are ready to make drastic changes to their lifestyle. But true success comes from willpower and systematic planning.
After all, according to experts in the field of employment counseling, a career change at any age is an event that can happen either voluntarily or involuntarily. However, thanks to tools such as reorientation in accordance with the opportunities of the market itself, the unknown can be turned into a real prospect. Typically, the most successful career change is one that takes the employee’s experience and training and moves it into a different field.
Thus, by overcoming social stereotypes about age, we gain the freedom to manage our lives to the maximum. So, if a mother decides to go to university as soon as her children leave home, she can and must do so. Perhaps objectively we live in a complex and difficult time, but from another point of view, it is also privileged because it gives us the tools for many good years of life.
But what is it that makes us old or doesn’t make us old? The first, effortless answer that NN research provides is: “What we feel.” In other words, in addition to our physical condition, our emotional and psychological state is important. We are what we “look” and, more importantly, how we feel. And judging by the case of Fauja Singh and Stelios Prassa, we have our whole lives ahead of us to be young…
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