As the saying goes, “getting old isn’t for sissies.”
That was before covid-19. The virus has raised the ante a bunch. Today, we’re way beyond not being a sissy. We’re closer to needing to be an all-around hard-ass.
So, let’s get to it.
“No one gets out alive”
We all know that we will eventually die. We just don’t know when. But the virus means sooner rather than later for many who happen to be older, particularly if that person also has chronic health conditions such as diabetes, COPD, etc.
I believe that life is precious. You probably do, too. I also believe that it is a gift, that we should be grateful for each day. And in that context, there is an age at which we should be looking backward in profound gratitude for all the life we have already had because it is far more important than what remains.
Like much of life, this is a bittersweet truth.
The cup of life
That’s why I’d like to reintroduce an idea from five years ago. I call it “the cup of life.” (You can read the original column here.)
The basics are simple:
- Today, at birth, a group of 100,000 Americans can expect to enjoy about 7,860,752 “life years.” That’s not the 10 million you’d see if everyone lived 100 years, but it’s a big improvement on earlier times.
- Each year the number of life years remaining in “the cup” decreases. Only 1,708,130 years remain at age 65. A mere 4,148 remain at age 100.
Drinking from the cup
- So how deeply have we drunk from life’s cup at different ages? Here are some figures:
— At age 40, we’ve lived nearly half our person years, 47.7 percent, with 52.3 percent remaining.
— At age 50, 61.0 percent, 39 percent remaining.
— At age 60, 72.7 percent, 27.3 percent remaining.
— At age 65, 78.3 percent, 21.7 percent remaining.
— At age 70, 83.5 percent, 16.5 percent remaining.
— At age 75, 88.3 percent, 11.7 percent remaining.
— At age 80, 92.5 percent, 7.5 percent remaining.
— At age 85, 95.9 percent, 4.1 percent remaining.
— At age 90, 98.2 percent, 1.8 percent remaining.
— At age 95, 99.5 percent, 0.5 percent remaining.
- These figures are for the total U.S. population from the CDC Life Tables. Life’s cup is deeper for white women. It’s less generous for all men, particularly black men. The size of your cup also increases with your level of education and income. These differences are significant and growing.
What’s really important here is how much we’ve drunk from the cup. Now in my 80th year, I look forward to living another 10 to 15 years. It may happen. Or not.
There is, however, something far more important. It is better to appreciate the past than fear the future. Looking back, I appreciate the gift I’ve already received.
Related columns:
Scott Burns, “Measuring longevity, another way,” 3/30,2014 https://scottburns.com/measuring-longevity-another-way/
Scott Burns, “The butterfly effect and dark silver linings,” 3/15/2020 https://scottburns.com/the-butterfly-effect-and-dark-silver-linings/
Sources and References:
Elizabeth Arias, Ph.D and Jiaquan Xu, M.D. Division of Vital Statistics, “United States Life Tables, 2017,” 6/24/1019 https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_07-508.pdf
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Photo: Scott Burns, Spring arrives at Found Oaks, March 2020
(c) Scott Burns, 2020