At seventy, men begin to be separated from their fellow-creatures. At eighty, they are like islets sticking out of a sea. At eighty-five, with their trembling and deliberate speech, they are the abstract voice of human wisdom. They gather wisdom with amazing rapidity in the latter years, and even their folly is wise then.
Arnold Bennett – Sacred and Profane Love (1905)
It isn’t difficult to think of exceptions to that notion. Joe Biden, Jeremy Corbyn, Prince Charles, David Attenborough, Michael Heseltine, Edward Heath…
Hmm - I’ll stop there. The list could be far longer than I initially imagined.
Hmm - I’ll stop there. The list could be far longer than I initially imagined.
4 comments:
Hmmm. I think that there are several broad types of old guy. Previously famous or powerful old guys carry on as if they still had authority. Then there are the many ordinary old guys who, released from the drives to succeed or maintain social status can take a more unbiased and balanced look at life (i.e. wisdom). And then there are the old guys who through loneliness or ill health go do-lally.
Joe Biden, Jeremy Corbyn, Prince Charles, David Attenborough, Michael Heseltine, Edward Heath are perhaps all in the previously famous/powerful camp. They keep trying to live using the methods that they used to climb to the top, but they are competing with tougher younger men, and have less patronage to bestow.
Women, of course, are a separate matter.
If Putin can hang on until he is 70 later this year, we should start to see signs of wisdom.
I'd be interested to know how women differ DJ.
DJ - I'm sure you are right. Some highly successful old guys can't switch off and can't drop out of the game so we still hear from them because they still have contacts and there is media space to fill. We don't hear much from those who do drop out of the game.
Sam - yes it's hard to believe this move was a wise one although I don't trust what we are told.
Tammly - so would I.
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