I hear you Ken. I don't even bother to remember the three things the doctor wants me to remember. I'm not there for any mental issues, I'm there for other reasons. Of course I'm not going to remember everything, I'm getting old! They act like it's some kind of new event! LOL!! If I start having any bad issues, my family members will contact the doctor, just like I did when my mother first came down with Altzheimers.
Those three questions are kind of crazy to me but then again I don't get them either, I agree that is older people are in a better place than our grandparents. Never loved sports so not giving any business to the orthopedic doctors on purpose. I'm not good with our aging politicians, especially as President, seems like us they have good days and not so good days.
Aging out is preferable to dying young, with good health the big equalizer. That said, we need to make room for the new…thinking, culture, points of view. The boomers have not been good at allowing the torch to be passed.
Bob, Please don’t read things that aren’t there. I did not say our generation offered nothing of value. I simply said we had our chance to make this world a verdant, peaceful place and we fell short. I stand by my statement that it’s time our fifty something children got a chance.
Saying "we didn't do a great job of saving the world" puts a negative spin on what our generation -- the Baby Boomers -- did.
Much better, more accurate, and less subject of misinterpretation: "We had partial success in saving the world, for example beating back Big Tobacco and preventing nuclear holocaust and forcing, at least in part, the collapse of the Soviet Union. There is clearly much more to do: beating back Big Pharma, Big Money in politics, the rising tide of authoritarianism across the world, quelling the urge to "solve" problems through the barrel of a gun.
I hope we can reach across the generations and find the best standard-bearers. Among office-holders, think Pete Buttigieg, Gretchen Whitmer, Jocelyn Benson, Adrian Fontes, Jamie Raskin, Jasmine Crockett. There are plenty more. Speak well of them, and credit them when quoting them.
And find excellent people at the local level to hold up and support.
In local areas (I live in Saratoga County) we are in somewhat of a news desert. Who is doing good work in our area? Write to newspapers about them, tell their story, praise the journalists and editors who are covering our local issues.
One org that I have recently found out about is the League of Women Voters of Saratoga County. They are vigorous, active, and working hard to protect and advance democratic values. I'm sure there are others. I wish I heard about more of them. This substack newsletter is a good place to talk about them.
American disabilities act, cleaning up polluted environment, etc. Boomers weren't so bad considering we were a bunch of drugged out hippie freaks - said my parents.
The dictator is the one in diapers at this point. I agree though, the age of our leaders is what is making our young folks turn their nose up at voting. They see their rich great grandfathers running the country and feel hopeless. Love Joe and what he represents but he should have bowed out back in January. That isn’t a failure- it’s practical and positive for the country.
They convinced me when they wrote about a person whose voter ID card would also enable them to get access to medical care and other services. Other groups that support reaching out to young(er) people:
You know, yes, far too many of our political appointees(frankly) are way too attached to the power they yield in Congress & the Senate - just cant give it up. Diane Feinstein was a good example and there are so many.
BUT as Katie Porter said (Aspen Ideas) the time to resolve this could have been and was 2-3 years ago - Biden was old then - so why werent the Dems all shocked & dismayed THEN? When it was possible to do something while there was time? Oh yes, we are talking about the Democratic party! Seems the Republican Party is very adept at working the LONG game and its obvious the Democratic Party still plays the short one.
So NOW far too many jump on the bandwagon & harass & denigrate a President who has done so very much in his term - much of it having to pick up the pieces and repair the shhthole (sorry) mess that the orange blob made.
Seriously, do you think this added stress will improve Pres.Biden's mindset?
Personally, I know what stress does to me - makes my BP rise & makes me feel lousy.
Do we really want to pile on to this man???
Ken, this really isnt directed at YOU - I'm just so fed up with ALL of our "elected" politicians.
“The men who signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, pledged their “Lives, [their] Fortunes and [their] sacred Honor” to defend the idea of human equality.”
For white men anyway. To Abigail Adams’ and many Black folks’ dismay they kicked the can down the road on letting women and slaves into the clubhouse. Maybe a necessary evil, but hypocritical none the less.
The glimmer twins, Mick and Keith, are the same age as President Biden and going strong despite their “misspent” youth. The bard of Hibbing is 83 and I believe the neverending tour is still going on.
Don't forget Springsteen at age 73. He can give Taylor Swift a run for her money. Watched the movie/musical 1776 again on Fourth of July and it has some pretty good insights into the mindsets of the founders - although I could do without all the singing.
I can’t bring myself to watch tv or movies much. Just finished reading American Revolutions by Alan Taylor tho. It’s interesting to see how much high school history left out.
It was terribly savage between Patriots and Loyalists. The violence was more brutal than I remember being taught. High school seemed to downplay (totally neglect) how much the war was because colonists wanted to kill Native Americans and snatch their land and Britain would prefer that we didn’t.
I’m not turning a blind eye to how bad a second Trump presidency would be, but we’ve struggled before. In my youth civil rights workers were being murdered as well as students at Kent State. Apparently the election of 1800 was not a walk in the park either. 😉
Yes, the Revolution was mostly about taking land from Indians, but the Declaration was brilliant.
The result of the current election will be either good in maintaining democracy or very very bad for our nation. It’s a pretty stark choice. None of us seems to feel confident the others will make the right one.
If you are in the third act, I must be playing the encore—as I hit 88 in a few months.
Throughout our life together, Meg and I have used the word “intentionality” as our motivating factor. For us, intentionality means making things happen rather than just letting them happen. In old age that means being intentional about nurturing body, mind, and spirit as long as we are able.
As I often closed my seminars on aging, “Remember that the sunset of life can be as beautiful as the sunrise.”
Humans are prone to following individuals rather than precepts.
Humans also enjoy the adulation that high positions of power bring. Narcissism of office, it happens at every level of government. Even here in Queensbury.
If we want better leaders we need to change our culture, but that is a long term goal and we could lose democracy in the short term first.
When the nation was founded average life expectancy was about 40. So 35 seemed like a reasonable age to assure a degree of maturity and of vigor. Of course at the time many people died at birth for in childhood so if you lived to 35 chances were that you’d live much longer.
Current life expectancy is around 78 - I haven’t checked exactly and the pandemic changed it a bit. But if you live to 78 there’s a reasonable chance you’ll live to 88 or 90.
But as you note, there are 3rd acts, and we have some good examples of presidents who have engaged in 3rd acts. John Quincy Adams returned to Congress after his presidency. People thought that was weird but he felt he had more to give. Jimmy Carter is a tremendous example of a person who made major efforts in health and democracy around the world while still doing humble work building homes for ordinary people.
Bill Clinton and Obama have been busy with their foundations. Maybe the jury is still out on them.
GWB? Well, he paints himself in the bathtub.
And Donald Trump? He has spent his time trying to stay out of jail and working to upend democracy. So you can see that even old guys can stay busy.
Love the “nap needed” comment. It might be of interest too to share the financial worth of Congresspeople. Too out of touch with the common man? Too out of touch with the younger generation?
Another provocative, well-crafted column. Not a novel idea, but I do think we age verydifferently and, tho I now live in the belly of the political beast in the DC area, I am much more interested in sports - rather than political -ability at advanced ages. E.g., I am 84, and off and on for several years, I have played doubles tennis with two OLDER players and one spring chicken in her mid 70s. The best of those players, an 87 year old woman (Carol Wood of Potomac, MD) with a wonderful, oft used drop shot, regularly wins US age 85-90 women’s tournaments and, earlier this year, won an international senior women’s event in Turkey. I am in awe at her talent!…Now, an oldtimer who is involved energetically with a more serious matter - memorializing Jewish and other victims of the Nazis. Earlier this year, I had the privilege - yes, privilege - of watching Gunter Demnig, 77, of Berlin kneel and install memorial markers in sidewalks in front of the last homes of 12 Nazi victims in a Rhine Valley village. At his advanced age, Demnig is still kneeling and installing the bronze markers almost daily in various parts of Europe. He has done it an incredible 105,000 times in 31 countries over the past 32 years. Again, I am in total awe. -dave nathan, Bethesda, Maryland
Ken wrote: “We have taken the cause for granted for too long and people - like those in the supreme Court - are taking advantage of it.”
Yesterday we celebrated our independence from a country ruled by a king.
It’s interesting that today the U.K. made a civil, peaceful, and amicable transition of government from the Conservative Party to the Labour Party. Yet the U.S. utterly failed to do so in our last election, capping the transition with a violent attempted insurrection. We now have a major party candidate who vows to rule like a king.
You go, Ken. Since retiring, I've written and published two books, produced two original musicals and am producing a third I wrote in a month: Drag Queen Story Hour. Having a blast, unbound by work and kid-raising responsibilities.
I hear you Ken. I don't even bother to remember the three things the doctor wants me to remember. I'm not there for any mental issues, I'm there for other reasons. Of course I'm not going to remember everything, I'm getting old! They act like it's some kind of new event! LOL!! If I start having any bad issues, my family members will contact the doctor, just like I did when my mother first came down with Altzheimers.
Those three questions are kind of crazy to me but then again I don't get them either, I agree that is older people are in a better place than our grandparents. Never loved sports so not giving any business to the orthopedic doctors on purpose. I'm not good with our aging politicians, especially as President, seems like us they have good days and not so good days.
Aging out is preferable to dying young, with good health the big equalizer. That said, we need to make room for the new…thinking, culture, points of view. The boomers have not been good at allowing the torch to be passed.
As a boomer myself I agree. We didn’t do a great job of saving the world. It’s time to let the fifty-something youngsters take over.
How about beating Big Tobacco and stopping the habit of smoking indoors, or within 50 feet of hospital entrances?
Boomers did that.
And... isn't Robert Reich a Boomer? Elizabeth Warren? Bernie Sanders?
It's a mixed record. Please don't oversimplify.
Bob, Please don’t read things that aren’t there. I did not say our generation offered nothing of value. I simply said we had our chance to make this world a verdant, peaceful place and we fell short. I stand by my statement that it’s time our fifty something children got a chance.
Saying "we didn't do a great job of saving the world" puts a negative spin on what our generation -- the Baby Boomers -- did.
Much better, more accurate, and less subject of misinterpretation: "We had partial success in saving the world, for example beating back Big Tobacco and preventing nuclear holocaust and forcing, at least in part, the collapse of the Soviet Union. There is clearly much more to do: beating back Big Pharma, Big Money in politics, the rising tide of authoritarianism across the world, quelling the urge to "solve" problems through the barrel of a gun.
I hope we can reach across the generations and find the best standard-bearers. Among office-holders, think Pete Buttigieg, Gretchen Whitmer, Jocelyn Benson, Adrian Fontes, Jamie Raskin, Jasmine Crockett. There are plenty more. Speak well of them, and credit them when quoting them.
And find excellent people at the local level to hold up and support.
But please don't neglect our successes.
In local areas (I live in Saratoga County) we are in somewhat of a news desert. Who is doing good work in our area? Write to newspapers about them, tell their story, praise the journalists and editors who are covering our local issues.
One org that I have recently found out about is the League of Women Voters of Saratoga County. They are vigorous, active, and working hard to protect and advance democratic values. I'm sure there are others. I wish I heard about more of them. This substack newsletter is a good place to talk about them.
We all need to be better citizens these days. In some ways, the fight is only beginning.
Bob, I maybe “over simplifying” here but
I didn’t see any negative comment from you on the original post to which I was replying. Perhaps I missed it? Or do you just pick fights with women?
My last comment on this thread: You are guessing, wildly and incorrectly, about my "just picking fights with women."
I've found that's it's mighty easy to judge when you know little.
Please look up Jocelyn Benson. Please look into the League of Women Voters.
Please follow HCR, Joyce Vance's "Civil Discourse" substack, and Andra Watkin's substack on Project 2025 (https://project2025istheocracy.substack.com).
Please, everybody, find, and support, good allies, wherever you find them. And, please recognize fair challenges when they come your way.
The expectations were high.
American disabilities act, cleaning up polluted environment, etc. Boomers weren't so bad considering we were a bunch of drugged out hippie freaks - said my parents.
The dictator is the one in diapers at this point. I agree though, the age of our leaders is what is making our young folks turn their nose up at voting. They see their rich great grandfathers running the country and feel hopeless. Love Joe and what he represents but he should have bowed out back in January. That isn’t a failure- it’s practical and positive for the country.
That's why I support Voteriders.org.
They convinced me when they wrote about a person whose voter ID card would also enable them to get access to medical care and other services. Other groups that support reaching out to young(er) people:
The Civics Center:
https://substack.com/@thecivicscenter
The League of Women Voters:
https://www.lwv.org/educating-voters/high-school-voter-registration
You know, yes, far too many of our political appointees(frankly) are way too attached to the power they yield in Congress & the Senate - just cant give it up. Diane Feinstein was a good example and there are so many.
BUT as Katie Porter said (Aspen Ideas) the time to resolve this could have been and was 2-3 years ago - Biden was old then - so why werent the Dems all shocked & dismayed THEN? When it was possible to do something while there was time? Oh yes, we are talking about the Democratic party! Seems the Republican Party is very adept at working the LONG game and its obvious the Democratic Party still plays the short one.
So NOW far too many jump on the bandwagon & harass & denigrate a President who has done so very much in his term - much of it having to pick up the pieces and repair the shhthole (sorry) mess that the orange blob made.
Seriously, do you think this added stress will improve Pres.Biden's mindset?
Personally, I know what stress does to me - makes my BP rise & makes me feel lousy.
Do we really want to pile on to this man???
Ken, this really isnt directed at YOU - I'm just so fed up with ALL of our "elected" politicians.
That club gets larger and larger every day.
Yeah I guess it does - hope the club believes in voting.
“The men who signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, pledged their “Lives, [their] Fortunes and [their] sacred Honor” to defend the idea of human equality.”
For white men anyway. To Abigail Adams’ and many Black folks’ dismay they kicked the can down the road on letting women and slaves into the clubhouse. Maybe a necessary evil, but hypocritical none the less.
The glimmer twins, Mick and Keith, are the same age as President Biden and going strong despite their “misspent” youth. The bard of Hibbing is 83 and I believe the neverending tour is still going on.
Don't forget Springsteen at age 73. He can give Taylor Swift a run for her money. Watched the movie/musical 1776 again on Fourth of July and it has some pretty good insights into the mindsets of the founders - although I could do without all the singing.
I can’t bring myself to watch tv or movies much. Just finished reading American Revolutions by Alan Taylor tho. It’s interesting to see how much high school history left out.
It was terribly savage between Patriots and Loyalists. The violence was more brutal than I remember being taught. High school seemed to downplay (totally neglect) how much the war was because colonists wanted to kill Native Americans and snatch their land and Britain would prefer that we didn’t.
I’m not turning a blind eye to how bad a second Trump presidency would be, but we’ve struggled before. In my youth civil rights workers were being murdered as well as students at Kent State. Apparently the election of 1800 was not a walk in the park either. 😉
Yes, the Revolution was mostly about taking land from Indians, but the Declaration was brilliant.
The result of the current election will be either good in maintaining democracy or very very bad for our nation. It’s a pretty stark choice. None of us seems to feel confident the others will make the right one.
Can’t wait to see what happens. Will be wild. Hopefully not too wild.
You are correct about our history, but Project 2025 is an entirely new level of organized attack on democracy. Could it succeed? It has me worried.
Thanks, Ken! Very insightful.
If you are in the third act, I must be playing the encore—as I hit 88 in a few months.
Throughout our life together, Meg and I have used the word “intentionality” as our motivating factor. For us, intentionality means making things happen rather than just letting them happen. In old age that means being intentional about nurturing body, mind, and spirit as long as we are able.
As I often closed my seminars on aging, “Remember that the sunset of life can be as beautiful as the sunrise.”
P.S. I am writing from Planet Fitness
Inspirational Don. What a wonderful concept - to live your life with "intentionality." You may be one of those rare individuals who has a fourth act.
Thanks for the reminder to live our lives with *intentionality.*
We’ll see. I’ll keep coming back for the curtain calls as long as I can.
Humans are prone to following individuals rather than precepts.
Humans also enjoy the adulation that high positions of power bring. Narcissism of office, it happens at every level of government. Even here in Queensbury.
If we want better leaders we need to change our culture, but that is a long term goal and we could lose democracy in the short term first.
When the nation was founded average life expectancy was about 40. So 35 seemed like a reasonable age to assure a degree of maturity and of vigor. Of course at the time many people died at birth for in childhood so if you lived to 35 chances were that you’d live much longer.
Current life expectancy is around 78 - I haven’t checked exactly and the pandemic changed it a bit. But if you live to 78 there’s a reasonable chance you’ll live to 88 or 90.
But as you note, there are 3rd acts, and we have some good examples of presidents who have engaged in 3rd acts. John Quincy Adams returned to Congress after his presidency. People thought that was weird but he felt he had more to give. Jimmy Carter is a tremendous example of a person who made major efforts in health and democracy around the world while still doing humble work building homes for ordinary people.
Bill Clinton and Obama have been busy with their foundations. Maybe the jury is still out on them.
GWB? Well, he paints himself in the bathtub.
And Donald Trump? He has spent his time trying to stay out of jail and working to upend democracy. So you can see that even old guys can stay busy.
Don't forget Jimmy Carter. That was one heck of a third act.
Technically he’s eligible to be president again…
In case there is anyone who hasnt seen this - Heather Cox Richardson(LFAA) interview with Christiane Amanpour - worth listening to.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/03/tv/video/amanpour-heather-cox-richardson?cid=ios_app&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2nRveIgHUC-kKI-uzzU7fCexZYNpeG7qhnsCarimMfzqoTkE0v8GtFaeU_aem_Upb4T9prT8r69Ak3J1y5Pg
Maggie, thanks for that link. HCR is totally on point with her analysis. Historians can teach us a lot.
Love the “nap needed” comment. It might be of interest too to share the financial worth of Congresspeople. Too out of touch with the common man? Too out of touch with the younger generation?
Another provocative, well-crafted column. Not a novel idea, but I do think we age verydifferently and, tho I now live in the belly of the political beast in the DC area, I am much more interested in sports - rather than political -ability at advanced ages. E.g., I am 84, and off and on for several years, I have played doubles tennis with two OLDER players and one spring chicken in her mid 70s. The best of those players, an 87 year old woman (Carol Wood of Potomac, MD) with a wonderful, oft used drop shot, regularly wins US age 85-90 women’s tournaments and, earlier this year, won an international senior women’s event in Turkey. I am in awe at her talent!…Now, an oldtimer who is involved energetically with a more serious matter - memorializing Jewish and other victims of the Nazis. Earlier this year, I had the privilege - yes, privilege - of watching Gunter Demnig, 77, of Berlin kneel and install memorial markers in sidewalks in front of the last homes of 12 Nazi victims in a Rhine Valley village. At his advanced age, Demnig is still kneeling and installing the bronze markers almost daily in various parts of Europe. He has done it an incredible 105,000 times in 31 countries over the past 32 years. Again, I am in total awe. -dave nathan, Bethesda, Maryland
Thank you David for sharing. Now I am in awe, too.
Ken wrote: “We have taken the cause for granted for too long and people - like those in the supreme Court - are taking advantage of it.”
Yesterday we celebrated our independence from a country ruled by a king.
It’s interesting that today the U.K. made a civil, peaceful, and amicable transition of government from the Conservative Party to the Labour Party. Yet the U.S. utterly failed to do so in our last election, capping the transition with a violent attempted insurrection. We now have a major party candidate who vows to rule like a king.
What exactly did we celebrate yesterday?
That is what every American should be asking themselves.
You go, Ken. Since retiring, I've written and published two books, produced two original musicals and am producing a third I wrote in a month: Drag Queen Story Hour. Having a blast, unbound by work and kid-raising responsibilities.
Isn't it wonderful, especially when you love creating and writing. I suspect our stories are not that unusual.
The reason why I support so many oldsters in Congress is because people here in Warren County and others, are afraid to run due to threats.