40 this year

My son will be 40 this year (I'm already 65 so he was born when I was 26). He said to me today. "Dad. Remember when you and my Mom said you believed in not trusting anyone over 30?" I said, "Yes. I was like that until I was about 29." He said, "Well. I'm at the point where I no longer trust anyone under 30." and we both laughed at this. I said I understood.

We have all been under 30 years old (those of us above 30) so we know how ridiculous this whole conversation is in the end. (Those who don't trust anyone over 30 and those older than 30 who have learned not to trust anyone under 30).

I think a good place to start is "If you live to be 30 in the U.S. you likely will live to be 90." To the rest of the world this is an amazing but basically true statement. What it means is, "If you survive until 30 the general likelihood is you will make it to 90."

Why is this?

It is because all the really dumbassed things people are going to do that might get them killed is mostly over by 30. Either you are already done and dead from doing something stupid or you have been really hurt physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually by 30 to where you know what you might survive and what you definitely can't survive physically and mentally anymore.

Because of this if you make it to 30 you likely will make it to 90. This is not absolute just a general truth of life if you are living in the U.S. and plan to stay there.

I really like people under 30 because they are so full of life and great ideas. However, sometimes their enthusiasm just sort of wears me out thinking about it. So, though they inspire me I also remember how I myself only barely survived from 21 to 24 or 25 when my girlfriend got pregnant with my son and we got married. And my son began to make my life something wonderful and staying alive to make sure he grew up right. I was able to correct most of the mistakes my parents made raising me when I raised him. So, of course he has made entirely different mistakes and has also had entirely different successes in his life than I in my life. And that's how it goes. What goes around comes around and around and around and around throughout the generations.