Adventures in Agelessness

摘要

We live an age when people increas-ingly refuse to act their age. The young (or many of them) yearn to be older, while the older (or many of them) yearn to be younger. We have progressively demolished the life cycle's traditional stages, shortening childhood and following it with a few murky passages. Adolescence―imagined as a pleasant mix of adult rights without adult responsibilities―begins before puberty and, for some, lasts forever. Middle age, which once arrived in the mid-30s or early 40s, has been pushed back well beyond 50 or even 60. As for old age, it is rarely mentioned until the paraphernalia of physical decay (canes, walkers, wheelchairs) make it moot.