Here’s an AP story:


CHICAGO — Newsflash for rock stars and teenagers: It turns out
everything doesn’t go downhill as we age _ the golden years really are
golden.

That’s according to eye-opening research that found the happiest
Americans are the oldest, and older adults are more socially active
than the stereotype of the lonely senior suggests.


The two go hand-in-hand _ being social can help keep away the blues.

"The good news is that with age comes happiness," said study author
Yang Yang, a University of Chicago sociologist. "Life gets better in
one’s perception as one ages."

 But for those of us who read Confucius, this comes as no surprise, as Analects 2.4 says:

The Master said: "At fifteen I devoted myself to learning, and at thirty I stood firm.  At forty I had no doubts, and at fifty understood the Mandate of Heaven.  At sixty I listened in effortless accord.  And at seventy I followed the mind’s passing fancies without overstepping any bounds."

       In other words, if we know how to age, we get better with age.

Sam Crane Avatar

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One response to “This Just In: Confucius is Right”

  1. The New Analects Avatar
    The New Analects

    Quoth the Master: “At fifteen I was directed to study. At thirty I was disgusted with grad school. At forty I was paying student loans. At fifty I was laid off and understood the Mandate of Creative Destruction and Offshore Outsourcing. At sixty my ear was attuned to the incessant ringing of the government cash registers. At seventy I realized it was a complete and total crock as I couldn’t even afford a time share in a condo in Panama.”

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