Today in my Reading and Comp. class, a reference was made to a 34-year-old man. I thought to myself how intriguing the age 34 is. 34-year-olds are probably the most nondescript and likely the least discriminated-against age group. They are still moderately attractive (that is, those who ever were in the first place) but no longer prone to the stupidity of youth. They are physically healthy but beyond their athletic prime. It is the extraordinary averageness that makes this age such a rare subject of conversation, even though people near this age dominate most industries and facets of life. The actual median age of people in the United States is 35, but that sounds a bit too land-marky, and 34 is close enough.
I quickly developed a sort of mini-fascination with my picture of an archetypal 34-year-old. I wanted to paint him (yes, in my head it was a him), write about him (done), and explore what has been left untouched for so long. Then I turned to other ages that I feel are also underrepresented in our culture:
- 19-month-olds (Still cute, but no new tricks lately.)
- 48-year-olds (17 years since start of career, 17 years until retirement.)
- 59-year-olds (Have you ever pictured yourself at 59? Don't.)
- 109-year-olds (Next centennial not for another 91 years.)
If you happen to know anyone in this age range, tell them that you appreciate them, and that every year counts equally.
No comments:
Post a Comment