Top 99 Reasons Why Being Over Age 70 Rules!

[GammaGlobulin]

I don't know about you, but one of the MAIN reasons why I prefer being over 70 involves my angst.

 

In fact, every new year I reach, after 70, decreases my angst by a few percentiles.

 

It's like Musk.

 

Musk has said that, no matter what, we should resort to DIPLOMACY rather than military confrontation, with China, at all costs.

 

What does this even mean, at my age?

 

Do you even think that I care?

 

Musk seems bent upon saving Humanity, even though he also acknowledges that he is an alien.

 

Joking aside, however, the older I get, and the more I become acquainted with Mankind, the less worry I am about seeing the end of Organized Human Civilization. 

 

I guess you will know that it is Noam Chompsky, or Nim Chimpsky, who is PERENNIALLY worrying about...."The End of Organized Human Civilization".

 

He never talks about the END of Civility, though.

 

=========

 

So, my NUMBER ONE reason why I am glad I am over 70 is that I no longer need to worry about the end of Humanity.

 

I have lived so long that I know Humanity, fairly well.

Humanity might have been worth saving, many years ago.

But, Humanity is a different Animal, now.

 

I am just saying that, to know Humanity, is one of the main reasons I am blessed to be over 70.

 

Once one knows Humanity, then the death of Humanity becomes less fear invoking, if you get my meaning.

 

==========

 

Another reason I like to be over 70 is because I did not like being put in nappies when I was young.

And, since I am not yet 90, I still have another 20 years to look forward to before I might be put in nappies, again.

 

========

 

To be serious, I would say that the reason I most prefer to be over 70 is that I can more easily fool others into thinking that I am daft.

 

Or, if I am daft, it would be hard to know.

In fact, nobody knows, yet, if I might be daft, or not.

 

========

 

But, I must tell you.....

 

I have been watching Chomsky, almost on a weekly basis, at times.

And, Noam is still sharp as a tack.

 

I have sent links to some of my friends.

And, my friends are amazed by Noam.

 

=============

 

So, I would guess that another thing I like about being over age 70 is to know, first hand, more than those of age 13.

 

=============

 

What was it like to grow up in my day?

 

We had REFRIGERATORS in the Kitchen which exhausted out the bottom of the machine, unlike today.

 

We had squirrels that would congregate around Oak Trees for Acorns.

 

===========

 

Basically, 60 years ago, things were the same.

 

And this is why being 70 is so good.  Because, 60 years from now, things will not be almost the same.

 

This is why being 70, now, is still OK.

 

=============

 

Concerning squirrels, even at my age of 70, I still marvel...

 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

I vividly recall, when I was three, chasing squirrels around our giant oak tree.

 

Now that I am over 70, I recognize the glory of the pursuit.

 

Round, and round, and round.

 

The squirrels never tired.

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

In truth, I love the narrator of the squirrel film.

 

His English seems such a Touch of Class, these days.

 

[save the frogs]

chomsky does my head in.

but the squirrel video is amazing. thanks!

so you don't care about future generations being wiped out? you only care about yourself?

[GammaGlobulin]

5 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

chomsky does my head in.

but the squirrel video is amazing. thanks!

so you don't care about future generations being wiped out? you only care about yourself?

I care about squirrels. 

 

I also find it interesting that Noam, at 95, is still as he is. 

 

[save the frogs]

7 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

I also find it interesting that Noam, at 95, is still as he is. 

i didn't realize he is that old.

i'm generally not interested in politics.

but its a valid point that he has maintained his intelligence at an advanced age.

 

[Lacessit]

Like everything else, there are positives and negatives.

I have lived in a golden age, where there was full employment, and a Protestant work ethic was rewarded. The disparity between the older rich and the impoverished young could not be starker nowadays. We live in an age of greed. We have become conditioned to accepting all our politicians are liars.

 

I can certainly do without getting up three or four times a night to pee, which I never had to do until I hit 70.

 

OTOH, technology has improved our lives in so many ways. Where I once had bookshelves crammed to bursting, I can now carry around 2000 books on a device which goes in my pocket.

Visual entertainment is mind-boggling in its diversity. The days of traipsing down to a theatre for the Saturday matinee have gone the way of bustles and button-up boots.

Medical technology has improved our lifespans. The only answer to cancer used to be surgery, which was like tossing a coin with a 50% success rate. Now, many cancers can be defeated with immunotherapy, monoclonal antibodies and targeted inhibitors. Radiation and chemotherapy have become blunt tools.

 

I don't know if not getting a morning woody anymore is good or bad. A satisfactory defecation takes priority.

 

You must have been athletically precocious, most kids don't start running until age 5, let alone chase squirrels.

 

Squirrelly is a derivative word, you see where I am going with this?

 

Si jeunesse savait, si vieillesse pouvait.

[GammaGlobulin]

3 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

i didn't realize he is that old.

i'm generally not interested in politics.

but its a valid point that he has maintained his intelligence at an advanced age.

 

Even at age 95, or 93, he continues to maintain a schedule of work that would be exhausting to most men of 23. 

 

Why he does this seems obvious. 

 

He wishes to warn the WORLD, before it's too late. 

 

We are now on the cusp of oblivion. 

 

Chomsky knows this. 

 

Even Musk knows this. 

 

And yet, not many people are listening. 

 

It's Dr. Strangelove TIMES TWO. 

 

Peter Sellers was not a funnyman. 

 

That's why his serious humor was funny. 

 

The world today is funnier and deadlier than ever. 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

9 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Like everything else, there are positives and negatives.

I have lived in a golden age, where there was full employment, and a Protestant work ethic was rewarded. The disparity between the older rich and the impoverished young could not be starker nowadays. We live in an age of greed. We have become conditioned to accepting all our politicians are liars.

 

I can certainly do without getting up three or four times a night to pee, which I never had to do until I hit 70.

 

OTOH, technology has improved our lives in so many ways. Where I once had bookshelves crammed to bursting, I can now carry around 2000 books on a device which goes in my pocket.

Visual entertainment is mind-boggling in its diversity. The days of traipsing down to a theatre for the Saturday matinee have gone the way of bustles and button-up boots.

Medical technology has improved our lifespans. The only answer to cancer used to be surgery, which was like tossing a coin with a 50% success rate. Now, many cancers can be defeated with immunotherapy, monoclonal antibodies and targeted inhibitors. Radiation and chemotherapy have become blunt tools.

 

I don't know if not getting a morning woody anymore is good or bad. A satisfactory defecation takes priority.

 

You must have been athletically precocious, most kids don't start running until age 5, let alone chase squirrels.

 

Squirrelly is a derivative word, you see where I am going with this?

 

Si jeunesse savait, si vieillesse pouvait.

Three 

Tree 

It just sounds better. 

 

[Jeff the Chef]

I've heard of Chomsky and Musk and I'm sure they have their merits but to say Peter Sellers was not a funny man I can't agree with that, Bluebottle.

[GammaGlobulin]

33 minutes ago, Jeff the Chef said:

I've heard of Chomsky and Musk and I'm sure they have their merits but to say Peter Sellers was not a funny man I can't agree with that, Bluebottle.

Sellers was serious. 

Seriously funny. 

Genius. 

 

Sellers could walk on water. 

 

 

[save the frogs]

1 hour ago, GammaGlobulin said:

We are now on the cusp of oblivion. 

we are?

not sure what chomsky is preaching. 

 

sorry, a bit off topic but i wanted to tell you before i forget.

you might enjoy the youtube channel "Fiction Beast". \

get yourself a glass of Russian vodka and talk Checkhov.

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

6 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

we are?

not sure what chomsky is preaching. 

 

sorry, a bit off topic but i wanted to tell you before i forget.

you might enjoy the youtube channel "Fiction Beast". \

get yourself a glass of Russian vodka and talk Checkhov.

 

 

Unfortunately, Chekov never discovered the cure for cancer. 

 

If he had, then he would have been a far better writer. 

 

 

[zzaa09]

Wonder what would be of Frank Zappa if he were still with us? 

[GammaGlobulin]

17 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

we are?

not sure what chomsky is preaching. 

 

sorry, a bit off topic but i wanted to tell you before i forget.

you might enjoy the youtube channel "Fiction Beast". \

get yourself a glass of Russian vodka and talk Checkhov.

 

 

Chomsky is not preaching. 

 

Although, his message might sound like an unwelcome sermon to those who wish for business as usual. 

 

If one were to live in the Bubble of America, then his preaching must sound like screeching. 

 

In America, everyone can eat cake and have it, too. 

 

In the fantasy land of America, nobody never needs to pay the price for excess. 

 

Nobody needs to be held accountable. 

 

It's always... Onward Christian Soldiers. 

 

The F-4 Phantom is the most beautiful symbol of this glorious free spirit. 

 

Onward, Christian Soldiers! 

 

 

[save the frogs]

25 minutes ago, zzaa09 said:

Wonder what would be of Frank Zappa if he were still with us? 

he would be selling over-priced concert tickets

[CharlieH]

"I came, I saw, I forgot , I retraced my steps, I got distracted, I have no idea what's going on, now I have to go pee !"

 

Sounds about right from what I see of the many over 70, be awhile before I find out though. ????

 

 

[bignok]

2 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Where I once had bookshelves crammed to bursting, I can now carry around 2000 books on a device which goes in my pocket.

Give me 1 good hard cover book over a tablet. Give me real face to face culture over facebook fakes anyday.

 

The internet is great for banking or booking a flight or hotel but it has destroyed culture.

[GammaGlobulin]

14 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

"I came, I saw, I forgot , I retraced my steps, I got distracted, I have no idea what's going on, now I have to go pee !"

 

Sounds about right from what I see of the many over 70, be awhile before I find out though. ????

 

 

In my opinion, you always treated me most kindly, as one would a younger brother. 

 

And, now, you seem to imply, I should call you Pi? 

 

(For those who might not know, Pi is for an elder, and Nong is for the younger.)

 

But, I will continue to consider you as my elder, be you Pi or Nong. 

 

Elder in wisdom, etc. 

 

 

[sirineou]

I am not 70 yet but from what I see being almost 66 , I am pretty sure I am not going to like 70 more. Not sure I like being 66. I think the Op is a bit of "whistling in the dark" but hey whatever works for you.

I personally just avoid mirrors. 

[GammaGlobulin]

15 minutes ago, bignok said:

Give me 1 good hard cover book over a tablet. Give me real face to face culture over facebook fakes anyday.

 

The internet is great for banking or booking a flight or hotel but it has destroyed culture.

In the past, books were not only hardbound, but they also had a beautiful printed paper sleeve. 

 

The bindings were substantial. 

 

The SMELL was heavenly. 

 

Although, The Grapes of Wrath didn't smell of grapes. 

 

 

[Walker88]

Step back and look at the big picture.

 

Despite silliness like TikTok (a platform where those without talent produce content for those without taste), QAnon, trump, Ukraine, Darfour, squirrels who hire chipmunks…..this is not the worst time in history.

 

I suspect things were a bit worse in the 1930s. And definitely in the 1940s. The US wasn't such a fun place to live in the 1860s, nor China in the 1960s. The world before antibiotics wasn't so much fun, where having sex might mean a nasty burn until one was in the box. Pancreatic cancer before morphine was likely rather unpleasant. Going back further, Genghis Khan wiped out 20% of humanity, and yet some consider him some sort of hero.

 

Today we might have crazed religious zealots who still believe in Skydaddies, reincarnation, a 6000 year old Earth, "souls" or the Big Alibi ("Joey, I swear god did it"), but only in a few places (mostly in the Middle East) do we have Inquisition-style behavior. Plus, the Earth is no longer flat. Slavery is also at its lowest point in human history. Let’s take a moment to be grateful.

 

Today's plus side includes things like the entire body of human knowledge being available at one's fingertips. Maxwell and Faraday, inter alia, would have sold their "souls" for that kind of access. Also, old guys can take a meager pension and retire in a tropical paradise like Thailand, a place where they might even be able to pretend they are the stud muffin at 70+ they (never) were at 21.

 

For those who think today is Dark Age 2.0, take a page out of the notebook of Isaac Newton (and Leibniz). When schools got shut down due to a recurrence of the Plague, Newton used his time to develop calculus. That certainly beats what students did during our Covid school shutdown, where they bingewatched Walking Dead or TikTok videos. Perhaps we should truly never let a crisis go to waste. It’s our own fault if we don’t use our time wisely.

 

Now there is a downside to the modern world. We are getting dumber, and we are getting proud of our dumbness. Maybe there are Maxwells and Faradays out there (Nima Arkani-Hamed? Jim Simons?), but absolutely no way do I see we have the intellect that was gathered together at Los Alamos to develop the bomb (Oppie, Bethe, Teller, Fermi, Serber, Wilson, Lawrence, Feynman, Bohr). Of course, maybe that is a good thing in some sense. We're also getting dumber because we no longer need to use our brain for simple tasks like multiplying 8 x 13 or making change for a 75 baht purchase using a 100 baht note. We don't physically write much anymore, instead typing on a keyboard or simply speaking into a mic. We couldn't find our neighbor's house without GPS. Entire areas of our brains are going to go fallow. Luckily we'll be subjects of AI robots who will make sure we take our vitamins and clean the lint from our navels.

 

One thing that is concerning is never in all of human history has a single human been potentially as powerful as today. Sure, Genghis killed millions, but the average crazy guy was severely limited in how many "souls" he or she could take out. A guy could go into a village with a sword and maybe kill a dozen before villagers strung him up. Bad for the deceased, but not an apocalypse. Today, a single bad guy could do something like develop a pathogen that could wipe out millions, even all of our species. Terrorists could get their hands on a nuke (like from Pakistan or India) and take out a Paris or downtown Bangkok. "Forward-thinking" entities like al Qaeda have sent their best and brightest to the West to get advanced degrees in biochemistry, and their intent was not to cure the common cold.

 

On a national scale, in places where autocrats rule, a single command could start WWIII. Imagine a thousand Tsar Bombas being set off (Tsar Bomba, detonated 30 October 1961, had the power of ALL the bombs dropped in WWII times 10....that is nasty.) Think of the firepower in a single modern sub, loaded with 20 multiple-warhead carrying Trident missiles. Scary stuff.

 

Now as an eternal optimist, I don't think we'll nuke each other and we probably will avoid a lab-created pathogen that wipes us all out. Our greatest threat may well be that we die of boredom (Imagine what Bach or Liszt would think of EDM/Techno/House/Trance). Aaaaaaaahhhhhh !!!!!!!

 

 

Edited May 28, 2023 by Walker88

[jayboy]

3 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

And, Noam is still sharp as a tack.

No he isn't.He has a distinguished record in the past as linguistics philosopher but even then his record on international relations was mixed.He is sadly now little more than a dribbling old fool, slave to kooky conspiracy theories and Putin worship.

Edited May 28, 2023 by jayboy

[GammaGlobulin]

12 minutes ago, sirineou said:

I am not 70 yet but from what I see being almost 66 , I am pretty sure I am not going to like 70 more. Not sure I like being 66. I think the Op is a bit of "whistling in the dark" but hey whatever works for you.

I personally just avoid mirrors. 

Concerning being almost 66, and mirrors... 

 

While you are still so young, if I were you, and knowing what I now know, I think I might put mirrors on my bedroom ceiling, and take a few videos. 

 

I think that age really doesn't matter, much, in life. 

 

I think people age 16 are less happy than people age 66. 

 

If you were 16 instead of 66, would you still have the energy to deal with all those hormones coursing through you? 

 

I thank my lucky stars that I will never, ever, again be made to feel like a dog in heat! 

 

Talk about pain. Talk about torture! 

 

The great Bard wrote so many words about the torture of love. 

 

I think the Doobie Brothers even sang songs about this torture. 

 

Blessedly, we are almost free, at last. 

 

We are never completely free. 

 

Two days ago, I saw a slim girl in jeans, with a zipper rife for the pulling. And, no matter how old you get, you just wish you cold pull the talon down to expose what lies underneath. 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

40 minutes ago, Walker88 said:

Step back and look at the big picture.

 

Despite silliness like TikTok (a platform where those without talent produce content for those without taste), QAnon, trump, Ukraine, Darfour, squirrels who hire chipmunks…..this is not the worst time in history.

 

I suspect things were a bit worse in the 1930s. And definitely in the 1940s. The US wasn't such a fun place to live in the 1860s, nor China in the 1960s. The world before antibiotics wasn't so much fun, where having sex might mean a nasty burn until one was in the box. Pancreatic cancer before morphine was likely rather unpleasant. Going back further, Genghis Khan wiped out 20% of humanity, and yet some consider him some sort of hero.

 

Today we might have crazed religious zealots who still believe in Skydaddies, reincarnation, a 6000 year old Earth, "souls" or the Big Alibi ("Joey, I swear god did it"), but only in a few places (mostly in the Middle East) do we have Inquisition-style behavior. Plus, the Earth is no longer flat. Slavery is also at its lowest point in human history. Let’s take a moment to be grateful.

 

Today's plus side includes things like the entire body of human knowledge being available at one's fingertips. Maxwell and Faraday, inter alia, would have sold their "souls" for that kind of access. Also, old guys can take a meager pension and retire in a tropical paradise like Thailand, a place where they might even be able to pretend they are the stud muffin at 70+ they (never) were at 21.

 

For those who think today is Dark Age 2.0, take a page out of the notebook of Isaac Newton (and Leibniz). When schools got shut down due to a recurrence of the Plague, Newton used his time to develop calculus. That certainly beats what students did during our Covid school shutdown, where they bingewatched Walking Dead or TikTok videos. Perhaps we should truly never let a crisis go to waste. It’s our own fault if we don’t use our time wisely.

 

Now there is a downside to the modern world. We are getting dumber, and we are getting proud of our dumbness. Maybe there are Maxwells and Faradays out there (Nima Arkani-Hamed? Jim Simons?), but absolutely no way do I see we have the intellect that was gathered together at Los Alamos to develop the bomb (Oppie, Bethe, Teller, Fermi, Serber, Wilson, Lawrence, Feynman, Bohr). Of course, maybe that is a good thing in some sense. We're also getting dumber because we no longer need to use our brain for simple tasks like multiplying 8 x 13 or making change for a 75 baht purchase using a 100 baht note. We don't physically write much anymore, instead typing on a keyboard or simply speaking into a mic. We couldn't find our neighbor's house without GPS. Entire areas of our brains are going to go fallow. Luckily we'll be subjects of AI robots who will make sure we take our vitamins and clean the lint from our navels.

 

One thing that is concerning is never in all of human history has a single human been potentially as powerful as today. Sure, Genghis killed millions, but the average crazy guy was severely limited in how many "souls" he or she could take out. A guy could go into a village with a sword and maybe kill a dozen before villagers strung him up. Bad for the deceased, but not an apocalypse. Today, a single bad guy could do something like develop a pathogen that could wipe out millions, even all of our species. Terrorists could get their hands on a nuke (like from Pakistan or India) and take out a Paris or downtown Bangkok. "Forward-thinking" entities like al Qaeda have sent their best and brightest to the West to get advanced degrees in biochemistry, and their intent was not to cure the common cold.

 

On a national scale, in places where autocrats rule, a single command could start WWIII. Imagine a thousand Tsar Bombas being set off (Tsar Bomba, detonated 30 October 1961, had the power of ALL the bombs dropped in WWII times 10....that is nasty.) Think of the firepower in a single modern sub, loaded with 20 multiple-warhead carrying Trident missiles. Scary stuff.

 

Now as an eternal optimist, I don't think we'll nuke each other and we probably will avoid a lab-created pathogen that wipes us all out. Our greatest threat may well be that we die of boredom (Imagine what Bach or Liszt would think of EDM/Techno/House/Trance). Aaaaaaaahhhhhh !!!!!!!

 

 

Somehow, I cannot imagine you ever being bored if you pursue some of the topics you have mentioned. Maxwell, and his freeze-dried coffee, for example. 

 

 

[JensenZ]

59 minutes ago, sirineou said:

I am not 70 yet but from what I see being almost 66 , I am pretty sure I am not going to like 70 more. Not sure I like being 66. I think the Op is a bit of "whistling in the dark" but hey whatever works for you.

I personally just avoid mirrors. 

LOL. Mirrors are not too bad for me as my eyesight is fading. It's photos I most like to avoid. My last passport photo was a shocker and I have to see it for another 6 years.  Rather than fading away into non-existence, I prefer the idea of planning my exit. That's easy enough if you don't have family.

[sirineou]

21 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

While you are still so young, if I were you, and knowing what I now know, I think I might put mirrors on my bedroom ceiling, and take a few videos. 

Is that so you can remember what sex was like?????

22 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

I thank my lucky stars that I will never, ever, again be made to feel like a dog in heat! 

I have to agree with that. Err from what friend told me . And yes contrary to what you heard I have friends! ok ok friend. 

[sirineou]

2 minutes ago, JensenZ said:

LOL. Mirrors are not too bad for me as my eyesight is fading. It's photos I most like to avoid. My last passport photo was a shocker and I have to see it for another 6 years.  Rather than fading away into non-existence, I prefer the idea of planning my exit. That's easy enough if you don't have family.

So true. I stress over the thought that one day I will pass away and leave my wife and daughter along. If I had to do it over again I would not marry a younger wife. 

[GammaGlobulin]

47 minutes ago, jayboy said:

No he isn't.He has a distinguished record in the past as linguistics philosopher but even then his record on international relations was mixed.He is sadly now little more than a dribbling old fool, slave to kooky conspiracy theories and Putin worship.

Putin worship? 

You mean his view on the expansion of NATO? 

Or, did you mean Putin astride a stallion, shirtless? 

Either way, still far from the truth. 

 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

12 minutes ago, JensenZ said:

LOL. Mirrors are not too bad for me as my eyesight is fading. It's photos I most like to avoid. My last passport photo was a shocker and I have to see it for another 6 years.  Rather than fading away into non-existence, I prefer the idea of planning my exit. That's easy enough if you don't have family.

Nobody of importance will see your passport photo. 

 

Have you ever tried to date the immigration girl who checks your passport? 

 

If you really want to date an immigration officer, the girls in Hong Kong are stunning with their pale green shirts and dark epaulets. All those girls are tri-lingual!