A 50 Year Bet

5 posts / 0 new
Last post
mykcob4's picture
A 50 Year Bet

I sat back today and listened to the full album 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' by the Beatles. Today is the 50th anniversary of its debut. It reminded me of what we are when we are young.
When we are young, say between 14 and 30, we are creative, funny, energetic and profound. Our minds reel with ideas. We are brave and indestructible. We think that we can do anything and often try to. We're idealistic and optimistic. We wear silly hats and search for an identity. We want to be original but we also want to be part of the crowd. We pine over love and relationships. We scoff at the generation that brought us in this world, who control the world that they brought us into. We mock the music, the art, the clothes, the styles that preceded us, not understanding how ridiculous our styles are and just how fast it will go out of fashion. We don't listen to people that can help us and don't think anyone is listening to us. Everything seems to be unfair. We think that absolutely everything should be different, yet we get upset if the littlest thing in our young life changes. We are dramatic, overly dramatic. We are irrational even illogical. We are dangerous to ourselves and everyone around us. We are cruel and uncaring and unsympathetic. Most of all we are scared. We look for some sort of assurance that everything will be alright. We try everything not worrying that it might kill us. All we want is acceptance. So we go out in the world to make our mark to cut out a little niche of life to call our own. We say we have a plan, but we don't. We say that we know what we are doing but we don't. We say that we will be better than our elders but we won't. We say we know what we want but we don't.
I think that is the way of almost every youth in the world and has been for all time.
Someday some young lad or gal of today will sit back and listen to an album (whatever the technology is) on its 50th debut anniversary, and they may write something about youth. About how the album (whatever the technology is) reminded them of it. And I'll bet you that they write almost exactly what I have written here.

Subscription Note: 

Choosing to subscribe to this topic will automatically register you for email notifications for comments and updates on this thread.

Email notifications will be sent out daily by default unless specified otherwise on your account which you can edit by going to your userpage here and clicking on the subscriptions tab.

ImFree's picture
Sounds like Evergreen college

Sounds like Evergreen college hypocrisy to the max. When a group inflicts the same rules it once protested they begin to lose credibility.

algebe's picture
When I was that age, older

When I was that age, older people used to tell me that it was the best time of my life. I didn't want to believe them. The message is a hard one to take when you believe you're suffering. "What if this is as good at it gets." But I know now that they were right. Youth is a time for discoveries, for trying everything for the first time. Time goes by slowly and you think it'll never end. You're so busy looking inward you forget to open your windows and doors.

What I wasn't aware of then was the time dilation effect. When I was young I moved close to the speed of light, and time almost stopped. As you get older you slow down and time speeds up. I'm in my sixties now, and a decade feels like a year, a year like a month.

Most of the music I listen to is 50 years old. The stars are going out one by one, but at least I can still hear the voices of John, George, Janis, Karen, Dusty... I wonder which contemporary singers will last that long.

mykcob4's picture
Exactly Algebe. You nailed it

Exactly Algebe. You nailed it. I often reflect. I sometimes spend hours on youTube playing songs I miss. I remember the first time I heard them. It makes me happy and sad.

algebe's picture
Just try to avoid looking at

Just try to avoid looking at Mick Jagger and Paul MacCartney these days. Their faces really bring the passage of time into focus.

Donating = Loving

Heart Icon

Bringing you atheist articles and building active godless communities takes hundreds of hours and resources each month. If you find any joy or stimulation at Atheist Republic, please consider becoming a Supporting Member with a recurring monthly donation of your choosing, between a cup of tea and a good dinner.

Or make a one-time donation in any amount.