COMPLEXITY OF AGE

When measuring the impact of a generation and its individuals, it appears that no one year is enough to discuss how age appears on loneliness.

Studies now appear to indicate that a long U pattern emerges. At first, it appeared to form a backward N. However follow up indicates that the most useful and a helpful heuristic devise to present to a reader or a classroom is the “U.”

So toward the top a person is born. That means that even an ever fussy baby the infant is surrounded with helpers and those who feed and comfort the child. By middle school, the individual begins to realize that s/he is judged continually. Happiness devolves into anomia or every day depression of the presentation of self to others.

These lowered depressive feelings can be help with counseling and medications. Further, schooling and its lack bullies can enhance the march of time called the “teens.” Street drugs also play a part at this age. The line in the U remains constant until the mid 40’s. Here one appears to hit a mid-life crisis. What have I done, where am I going? What is life is really like. After a few years in the lowest part of the time line one begins to change in a way that cuts anxiety and depression over life and what is death really like.

Now most begin to see a brighter picture and may be alone at home with technology that unites with others or an elder care. Both women and men who generally live to their 70’s or early 80’s, see a life that was well lived or a much improved life from the mid-life crisis.

Another way of presenting a group of people, who live quite long, may be presented like a football field. In terms of metrics, one can imagine 10 football field locked together. From the appearance of the fields have at least interval properties. The “O” baseline and equidistant ranks as one moves through life seems to suffice.

To the individual the math does not seem real. Various views of the field, the child is the father of man. Often high school or early adulthood may allow for an optimistic view of this presentation.

Therefore, both the presentation and line presentation of the fields may be too optimistic. There are many tragedies so that the human condition is not necessarily bright. Thus, this field and presentation may be too good for the individual. This is just the beginning and changes will encourage distortions. This is an overview of questionnaires from the general population. What have been said here are answers from large groups of people. For the individual it still remains a mystery. Social life encourages certitude, hopes and plans are not reality.  Plans are something humanity does and God laughs. However, humans do search for order or a semblance of order.

Prof. Joel Charles Snell/