It is a beautiful morning here on the East Lothian coast. My inclination is to get in a quick walk before I head for Edinburgh. In doing so, I might take a small celebratory coffee if I can find somewhere to serve me. It is, after all, my twin brother's 68th birthday, and I feel I should celebrate it with him, even if he is not here.
I have to admit that I find it curious to think that I might be 68. That is four years older than the age that The Beatles once defined as old. I also recall The Who once singing, “I hope I die before I get old”, but I was not convinced at the time, and I am less so now.
I confess to not being a big celebrator of anything but life itself. It is my belief that finding the ordinary to be extraordinary and celebrating all the small aspects of it is a better way to live life than by creating events to mark the passage of time or particular achievements. Each is valid, but I prefer to look for what is good in everything, and most of the time, I can find it.
This week, I could have celebrated the first butterflies of spring, an influx of ladybirds into the garden, several acts of genuine friendship which have made my life feel better as a result (you know who you are), and also recovering from Covid. I feel as though I have my energy back this morning; I am also in charge of my voice, and it was shocking to find that it was quite hard to form words for a period of more than a week. I do apologise if some of the videos sounded strange as a result, but I refused to give in to this.
I also refuse to give in to society's idea of what it means to be older. So, for example, I work full-time, even though only about 20% of people my age do. But I celebrate the fact that I do so because I wish to. I am now free to do what I want. Whilst the work might be tiring (and John Christensen keeps on pointing out to me that I do insist on trying to pack two weeks' effort into any seven-day period), I do it because I think it is worthwhile.
If there is one thing that being 68 has taught me, it is that doing what is worthwhile is the most important thing in life. I spend a lot of time talking to people about work these days. I do a little mentoring. The odd student still crosses my path. As a result of my coffee habit, I meet many young people who work as baristas, a lot of whom see it as a gateway to something else. Because of the person I am, I quite often get into conversation with these young people and exchange ideas with them. Many of them are asking, “What is this all about?” The team here at Funding the Future is also, on average, a lot younger than me, and the same question is asked.
My advice is always the same. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Despite all the stereotypes, the expectation that you will find precisely what it is that you want to do straight out of school or university, and then make a successful career from it, has always been, and now most certainly is, quite ridiculous. There will be exceptions, but that is precisely the point: they are exceptions. For most people, life is a journey involving significant twists and turns. The greatest skill required is the ability to navigate. It is one rarely taught.
And there is one big question that is also never on the agenda, because it never occurs to most people. That is, why do we live in a system that requires us to work every hour that we are given when we are told that leisure is the activity that we should aim for?
Following on from this, why do politicians see it as their goal to force everyone into work, come what may? And why are they so dedicated to making sure that worthwhile activity, not necessarily rewarded with pay, is penalised so harshly within our economy?
Is it that both our economics and our politics have a fixation with control, and that by forcing people into employment, that control can be created both over the person and over what they might do, by constraining their earning opportunity? Both now seem to me to be very real possibilities and worthy of further consideration.
And I guess this is my real point. At 68, I remain deeply curious, and above all else, it seems to me that the greatest gift that life can bestow is that of curiosity, and the need to search for answers. The only thing I fear is losing that, but right now, that feels very unlikely.
I am looking forward to another year on this planet and all that it might reveal.
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Buy me a coffee!
Dont forget that other song about growing old – disgracefully by the Troubadour of Timsbury, Fred Wedlock which I am sure you remember!
Happy Birthday to you both
🙂 Thanks
This is quality dissonance – “I remain deeply curious, and above all else, it seems to me that the greatest gift that life can bestow is that of curiosity, and the need to search for answers.” Please keep on being curious and understand the economists definition of public goods and why it’s useful to answer the questions posed by seeking a politics of care. After all there are some things even neoliberals insist governments of the centre should care about, everything else being devolved to the lowest possible level and left to the natural order of things.
We’ve seen in Scotland and Wales this week that people who care about the welfare of racing greyhounds will find the animals and activity they care about illegal because a superior group of people care that there should not be any racing greyhounds at all. If you can get curious about the right decision making level in this world, then go well.
No-one is making greyhouds illegal. They will still be legal to own, breed, live out their life and euthanise. But really, there is no such thing as a “racing” greyhound anyway – there are just greyhounds that are de facto forced into racing. Please don’t think that the industry was anything other than cruel; it wasn’t, as I know personally, and it won’t be missed.
Many happy returns Richard.
Thank you, to you and everyone else saying so.
Happy birthdays! I’m sure you’ll find somewhere to enjoy a coffee in N. Berwick. My brother lives there. It’s a beautiful day here, a bit north of where you are, on the shore of the Firth of Forth. Hope today at the Festival of Economics goes well. If you see him, give my regards to William (Thomson).
Thank you, and I will try to remember to do so. I will be seeing him very soon.
Happy Birthday Richard! And a very warm welcome to beautiful Scotland.
Good luck today with the festival and I’m glad to hear you sounding so strong and positive. I too am blessed with insatiable curiosity and agree that finding joy and wonder in the tiniest of nature’s offerings is a great route to happiness-in-the-moment. No rocket science required 🙂
I’m very much looking forward to hearing your discussion today, online. If I’m late it’s because Spring is here, and has already rewarded us for our patience with a stunning day yesterday at 19°C! Everyone in town was in a happy, sociable mood and the sense of community was so strong. It looks to be the same today.
Happy weekend to all! 🙂
Thank you
Happy Birthday to you and your brother!
“Many Happy Returns” to you and thanks to your supporting family!
“Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. Today is the present. It is called “The present” because it is a woderful gift to us!” [From Eleanor Roosevelt}
Happy Birthday
Indeed celebrating the small and ordinary, watching drowsy ladybirds sunning their spotty backs is a joy.
lucky you waking up in East Lothian, nice bird watching in John Muir park to Spikey, if you are near Sunny Dunny.
Happy birthday Richard
look forward to seeing you in a couple of hours in Edinburgh.
I agree the pressure on people to know what they want to do after leaving school is enormous. After two failed attempts at university in my late teens and mid-twenties, because that’s what I thought other people wanted me to do, I’m having a third crack at it and really enjoying it now in my late forties. I’m also conscious that my father never made it past 56, nor his father before him, so that helps to focus on enjoying the here and now because it can all be gone very quickly.
Thanks and I am within Warren Mosler now
Old Man River – keep rolling on…….
Indeed!
I have no doubt that control is the reason for keeping people on the edge, with limited income and lifelong debt. Survival leaves little time or energy for the curiosity you describe – which some would see as a threat
Thanks
And I meant to add very best wishes for your birthday. Enjoy Scotland while you’re here
Thanks
Happy birthday and as you are north of the border, aye may your lum reek.
Insatiable curiosity means a lot of people can live a happier life, because you cannot exhaust learning. There are always new questions to ponder. You and your team play their part in suggesting possible answers to some of these questions. There is joy in knowing what we know, even though if we are honest, we really don’t know much.
🙂
Happy Birthday, you young’un!
I’ve followed your work for years now, and rejoice that your energy, enthusiasm and determination are u diminished.
Best wishes!
Thanks
‘uNdiminished!
Haahaahaa! D’oh!
another year of curiosity – amongst twins – I have twin nephews (now in their 50s) – and when they were only 3 or 4 years old the following ‘conversation’ took place, but maybe, not the exact words –
David “well, I’m right” –
Robert “how do you know you are right?” –
David “‘cos I’m older than you” –
Robert “how do you know you are older?” –
David “‘cos I came out first” – long silence — then —
Robert “If you came out first, I must have gone in first” –
out of the mouths of babes etc – as it happens, this was in Scotland as their father was in the RAF (Lossiemouth)
have a good birthday – enjoy!
🙂
A tiring but fun day
Happy birthday Richard, you are 1 year & 1 month my junior!
🙂