Age.

When I was 20 I thought 40 year old balding men and fat women as too old to flirt or remarry or deck themselves in gaudy sarees , gaudier ornaments and garish makeup respectively.

When I became 40 I thought that 60 year old's were too old ,literally one foot in the grave and marvelled at their [some] energy to under take long trips and pilgrimages !

WhenI turned 50 I didn't feel too old although treading mother earth for a half a century !Had it been otherwise maybe I wouldn't have felt the weight of my age, from the very next day.

I saw a show on T.V the other day featuring senior citizens in which a panelist said that the current 60 year old's including herself are the 40 year old's of the previous generation.
As per her logic the current crop of youth in their 20's must be 'babe in the wood's '.Are they ?

It is undeniable that current senior citizens rich or poor are much better off than those in ancient times.Up north some were either hustled away by selfish off springs or several others voluntarily decided to spend their twilight years in forests , that were teeming with countless capricious carnivores awaiting a easy prey without having to stir a sinew. Down south in pre Sangam ages the old and infirm were callously stuffed into a 'Thazhi' [earthenware pots] and buried alive!