First comes evidence of a mis-spent youth, then the mid-life crisis and finally senior moments. Not that we need to complain about where we are on this continuum since any place is preferable to the alternative of not being there at all.

Surely, there are advantages at both ends as well as in the middle. The young may enjoy adventurousness, the old a sense of contentment and peace while those in the middle years take great delight in their accomplishments.

As Socrates-asked Cephalus, "Do you sense, as you grow older, a growing liberation from the drives and passions of your youth?" Or are you still driven by your passions? Ah, youth. How well I remember.

It used to be, perhaps several generations ago, that the elderly were not only respected but even revered. This was due, in large measure, to their being the only source for accumulated knowledge and wisdom, and the youth who were developing in wisdom took great delight in learning from their elders. Nowadays, all of the accumulated knowledge one might require may be found by consulting Google. In this sense, the elderly have become superfluous. However, Google will never be able to provide us with wisdom.

It seems that philosophy remains most attractive to the mature and elderly. Perhaps young people are so distracted by the demands and opportunities of daily living that they are rarely concerned with examining why they exist.

As philosophers, we would do well to seek and learn the secret of growing old gracefully while maintaining our sense of dignity.