What’s Best?

A report last week from some British research group announced that the best age in a person’s life is 46. Not 45 and not 47. Forget about 25, 33 or 55. The reason, they concluded that 46 is the best age in a person’s life is because, presumably, by this age “most of us” are at a financial situation that has allowed us, or about to allow us, the capability to accumulate all the “things” we want. Wow…

They would lead us to believe that this “best” age and everything about it will make us happy people. See, they’re telling us that we are the peak of consuming and able to get what we want so this makes it our “best” age.

Oh, really? I’m 49. Did I miss something? For my friends who are 45, should they prepare somehow for this “best” year before them? I’m not following.

Forgive me as I switch gears.

By using the phrase, best year of ones life sounds too much like declaring that the things we accumulate may even make us, well…happy. Nah, that can’t be. We’re smarter than that.

But if this is true, where does that put me? I, actually, want fewer of those “things” that are supposed to make me happy. I’m talking about all the stuff that anchors me down, that keeps me “connected”, that break, and after just a moment of thought, are meaningless in my life.

The things that we pretend we need or want as the true inhibitors of being the best we can be– they are inhibitors of our happiness. At age 46 or 99, the things we own are just that–the things we own. It may be true that our stuff we accumulate may certainly gratify us for the moment, but that stuff doesn’t do anything to help us enjoy our “best” year of our lives. What’s your best year? Make that, years?

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 7th, 2009 at 2:06 pm.