How Many Years Have You Been on This Earth?

How many years have you been on this earth?

Normally we just ask someone how old they are.

Today my brain went on a weird and wonderful tangent of its own, as it tends to do as I sit in front of my ever expanding to-do list, which usually contains task after task of University related work.

I have absolutely no idea where the thought came from or why I started thinking it, but I kinda liked it, and wanted to write it down.

I feel that the word 'old' can have a negative connotation. By negative I don't mean it is offensive or rude, in that sense there is nothing wrong with it. I mean it tends to draw more negative-type emotions and tones. People say 'I'm so old', 'I'm getting so old', 'When did I get so old', 'I feel so old' and generally it's not said in an upbeat, 'I'm happy about that way'; it's a regretful, 'why does this happen' way.

Ageing is a part of life, it's a part of our human life. It's something that brings with it new learning curves, new experiences, new understandings, all of which could not happen unless we gradually developed and grew older with time. Those who say ageing is a beautiful thing are on the right path. Ageing is about learning, growing, living.

I'm sure the majority of us (and I can also put my hand up and say 'guilty') have thought if there was something I could do or take that would freeze me at this age in my youth, at this very moment, I'd have it in a heart beat. But if we had it, would we really want it? Should we really take it?

Ageing is a beautiful thing, yet we describe it with this word which in an instant can make us forget there is anything good about growing up and progressing in life each year. Instead we talk about getting old by referencing things we didn't do when we were younger, things that have changed (for better or worse) and worrying about not taking enough advantage of what is in front of us or what has past us.

I know saying the single word of 'old' is much easier than a phrase, but I feel like the associations made with that single word of 'old' are to ingrained to ever be reversed. That means something new needs to be used for there to be change. It probably won't ever happen, but it was cool to think about for a little while.

Imagine if instead of asking someone how old they are, what age they are or by saying we are so many years old, we said, how many years have you been on this earth? I've been on this earth for 22 years. It means exactly the same thing, but I feel the phrase brings with it this kind of aura and energy that simply the word 'old' doesn't. It brings a sense of wisdom, a sense of experience, a sense on wonderment and an overall 'wow' type feeling that cannot be properly described in words; 'wow, how amazing I've been on this Earth for 22 years so far. How lucky am I', rather than 'damn 22 years has past already, where has the time gone'.

Maybe this makes sense to you, maybe it doesn't, maybe it's nonsense ramblings and you wonder why I would ever type that out and put that on the Internet. Maybe this thought is nothing new to you, or maybe it is.

I don't know; my brain.

How many years have you been on this earth?

Normally we just ask someone how old they are.

Today my brain went on a weird and wonderful tangent of its own, as it tends to do as I sit in front of my ever expanding to-do list, which usually contains task after task of University related work.

I have absolutely no idea where the thought came from or why I started thinking it, but I kinda liked it, and wanted to write it down.

I feel that the word 'old' can have a negative connotation. By negative I don't mean it is offensive or rude, in that sense there is nothing wrong with it. I mean it tends to draw more negative-type emotions and tones. People say 'I'm so old', 'I'm getting so old', 'When did I get so old', 'I feel so old' and generally it's not said in an upbeat, 'I'm happy about that way'; it's a regretful, 'why does this happen' way.

Ageing is a part of life, it's a part of our human life. It's something that brings with it new learning curves, new experiences, new understandings, all of which could not happen unless we gradually developed and grew older with time. Those who say ageing is a beautiful thing are on the right path. Ageing is about learning, growing, living.

I'm sure the majority of us (and I can also put my hand up and say 'guilty') have thought if there was something I could do or take that would freeze me at this age in my youth, at this very moment, I'd have it in a heart beat. But if we had it, would we really want it? Should we really take it?

Ageing is a beautiful thing, yet we describe it with this word which in an instant can make us forget there is anything good about growing up and progressing in life each year. Instead we talk about getting old by referencing things we didn't do when we were younger, things that have changed (for better or worse) and worrying about not taking enough advantage of what is in front of us or what has past us.

I know saying the single word of 'old' is much easier than a phrase, but I feel like the associations made with that single word of 'old' are to ingrained to ever be reversed. That means something new needs to be used for there to be change. It probably won't ever happen, but it was cool to think about for a little while.

Imagine if instead of asking someone how old they are, what age they are or by saying we are so many years old, we said, how many years have you been on this earth? I've been on this earth for 22 years. It means exactly the same thing, but I feel the phrase brings with it this kind of aura and energy that simply the word 'old' doesn't. It brings a sense of wisdom, a sense of experience, a sense on wonderment and an overall 'wow' type feeling that cannot be properly described in words; 'wow, how amazing I've been on this Earth for 22 years so far. How lucky am I', rather than 'damn 22 years has past already, where has the time gone'.

Maybe this makes sense to you, maybe it doesn't, maybe it's nonsense ramblings and you wonder why I would ever type that out and put that on the Internet. Maybe this thought is nothing new to you, or maybe it is.

I don't know; my brain.

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posted by The Noise in Wonderland . 3/15/16 .