Time speeding up as we age

Dear Editor:

I’ve noticed that as I get older, the subject of time, and how it seems to accelerate as we age, often comes up in our discussions. I believe it has a straightforward explanation.

In youth, the horizon of our lives stretches out seemingly endlessly. Death, though a distant certainty, feels so far removed it scarcely enters our daily thoughts. The vast, unquantifiable span of time ahead seems endless and easy to ignore.

However, as we enter our seventies, with increasing doctor visits, medical tests and prescriptions, the reality of aging becomes inescapable.

And the uninvited thought gradually but surely creeps into our heads that we have somehow become old - and you wonder where the hell that old guy staring at you in the mirror came from.

And looking at a photograph that some well-meaning friend has taken of you with all that hair sticking out of your ears - is even more solid and disturbing evidence that you are no longer you.

There are some inspirational sayings that try to put a positive spin on aging, such as “You’re only as old as your heart feels” and “The golden years” (ha, ha!)

Yet, as physical capabilities wane, it becomes harder to overlook the stark realities. For instance, Statistics Canada reports that the average 75-year-old Canadian man has about a decade left to live, with women typically living three years longer.

But life offers no guarantees about reaching this age, nor do the statistics reveal the diminished state of mental and physical health that often accompanies the relentless march of time.

For a 75-year-old, realizing that only 10 years might remain is jarring. Because here is the thing. Each passing year further narrows this window, hastening our approach to zero.

Now, while birthdays were once a carefree milestone, they remind you of your mortality.

Many optimists plan to defy the odds, but deep down, we understand that mother luck is a fickle ally. Reading obituaries, never an uplifting activity, becomes a poignant reminder of our own mortality. For example, I’m a soccer fan, and your newspaper had a story about the life of former German soccer great Franz Beckenbauer (Feb. 22), whose skills I’ve always admired, but who passed away at a “below average” age of 78. Unfortunately for him, zero arrived ahead of schedule.

Getting back to the feeling that time accelerates as we age, of course it’s not time that changes pace; rather it’s the shortening of the measuring tool. The diminishing “time left” makes years feel shorter, creating a sense of time speeding up as we grow older. So maybe we should dispense with birthdays, and simply appreciate each day as it comes. And avoid the obituaries altogether!

John Ugyan Kelowna