Three decades ago, in my early 30s, I noticed a group of teenage girls playing hockey. Having played the game during my college days, I decided to seize this opportunity to impress them. With their consent, I entered the field, and pumping adrenaline, I chased the ball but soon ran out of breath.
One of the girls advised me, “Please don’t over exert, uncle.” That last word came as a rude shock. Since when did I begin to look like an uncle, I asked myself.
Years later, in my mid 50s, wearing a pair of jeans, I attended a wedding. A boy of around 10 approached me and asked, “Can you please tell me where is the dining hall, grandpa?”
Shock and confusion continued.
After my retirement, when I visited a senior citizens’ home, an elderly person, perhaps in his late 70s, hailed me, “Hello, young man, what brings you here with all the old people?”
Neither young nor old
Though I felt happy, my confusion continued. When I was young, I was forced to think otherwise. Now when I start beginning to realise that I am getting old, someone calls me young.
But soon, clarity emerged.
During a community festival, I was chatting with a 93-year-old man. Soon we found that his cousin was my neighbour. He complained that the said relative had not visited him for many years, though he is quite young. I was amused since the young cousin’s age was 81.
And then in a chat group of my family members, one person posted about the death of a woman at the age of 78. In response, another, in his mid-40s, observed that the woman had lived a “full life”, implying that her time was up. Immediately, a third member wrote that the deceased was too young to die, that she should have lived for at least another 15 years or so. I soon found out the reason for this remark — the comment was made by a woman who was in her early 80s.
Suddenly, years of confusion gave way to clarity. You are considered young or old solely on the basis of who is assessing you.
Simply it’s all a matter of relativity.
Unfortunately, Einstein seems to have been too much engrossed on pure science that he missed out on this aspect of social science.
soraiyurvraman@gmail.com
