by Patricia Pereira-Sethi
They say it’s better to be over the hill than to be buried under it. Life isn’t defined by a number, but the person you are and the unique timing of your experiences.
Scientists are constantly exploring the mysteries of longevity in an effort to identify what constitutes the perfect age: when man is at his peak, when man soars to his absolute best – and why.
They analyse the impact of stress levels at different stages of our lives; they factor in the years filled with fun and carefree moments, as well as the latter period of inevitable physical decline – in the hope that they might determine the time-frame within which we achieve full satisfaction and complete happiness.
Some of their findings are surprising indeed. Researchers have concluded that many folks in their 50s do not want to regress to their 30s. And those in their 70s appear to be far more content than most, because they have both the economic power and the free time to do whatever they wish to – at last. Simultaneously, no one wants to look or feel old, which is why anti-aging creams fly off store-shelves and seniors shy away from revealing their precise age, contending that age cannot be reduced to a number. It is instead a particular feeling that radiates and uplifts, they say, no matter the year stamped on a birth certificate. The question then arises: is there a specific age that is better than all the rest?
While some analysts conclude that it is impossible to establish this, because of the many variables involved (which could encompass everything from a boring career to winning the million-dollar lottery, or an untimely death in the family), others do not. Global Cleveland, a non-profit development group, defines the perfect age as “the exact moment when you realise how absolutely short life is and how completely lucky you are to be alive”.
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