Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Age and Accomplisment
I don't know. Maybe I'm just sensitive because I'm going to reach a milestone age tomorrow, but I'm sick to death of headlines like the one on the current Special Issue of Smithsonian magazine. (Fall 2007) It is . . .
37 Under 36: America's Young Innovators in the Arts and Sciences
I don't know about you, but the vaunting of the spectacular achievements of our youth make me feel completely inadequate. It always has, even when I was considered young, mostly because the tone is that if you haven't made it by a particular youthful age, the implication is that you'll never make it. As if all of us must achieve something noteworthy enough to make it into a magazine. As if those of us who don't simply aren't worth breathing the air on this earth. I do not begrudge people their accomplishments, au contraire! Amen and hallelujah to them for what they've done. And, amen and hallelujah to those who plug away at tasks that aren't deemed noteworthy by society, but that are crucial nonetheless. (You go, Mike Rowe!) But, quit attaching an age to the accomplishment, as though somehow we're all supposed to be so impressed by the wunderkind, merely because of the age, without factoring in all of the support the kid has had in getting to where he's gotten.
Because we can't seem to help ourselves on the whole age vs. achievement issue, I'd like to point out my favorite article on the subject, published by Wired Magazine in July 2006. (Yes, I still have the print version.) It's called "What Kind of Genius Are You?" and looks at the research of David Galenson, who studied age and achievement and found that those who blossomed early tended to peak early, but that there were plenty of genius types who didn't hit their creative strides until much later in life. There's still hope for those of us over 36.
P.S. I forgot a link that came through The Rake's Secrets of the Day email today. Apparently, I'm not to only one interested in the accomplishments of older folks. Lizz Winstead, who co-created The Daily Show, is looking for guys over 40 who've always wanted to be in a rock band, but life got in their way, for a reality show called "Ready 2 Rock." Here's a link to a video of Winstead describing the project.
37 Under 36: America's Young Innovators in the Arts and Sciences
I don't know about you, but the vaunting of the spectacular achievements of our youth make me feel completely inadequate. It always has, even when I was considered young, mostly because the tone is that if you haven't made it by a particular youthful age, the implication is that you'll never make it. As if all of us must achieve something noteworthy enough to make it into a magazine. As if those of us who don't simply aren't worth breathing the air on this earth. I do not begrudge people their accomplishments, au contraire! Amen and hallelujah to them for what they've done. And, amen and hallelujah to those who plug away at tasks that aren't deemed noteworthy by society, but that are crucial nonetheless. (You go, Mike Rowe!) But, quit attaching an age to the accomplishment, as though somehow we're all supposed to be so impressed by the wunderkind, merely because of the age, without factoring in all of the support the kid has had in getting to where he's gotten.
Because we can't seem to help ourselves on the whole age vs. achievement issue, I'd like to point out my favorite article on the subject, published by Wired Magazine in July 2006. (Yes, I still have the print version.) It's called "What Kind of Genius Are You?" and looks at the research of David Galenson, who studied age and achievement and found that those who blossomed early tended to peak early, but that there were plenty of genius types who didn't hit their creative strides until much later in life. There's still hope for those of us over 36.
P.S. I forgot a link that came through The Rake's Secrets of the Day email today. Apparently, I'm not to only one interested in the accomplishments of older folks. Lizz Winstead, who co-created The Daily Show, is looking for guys over 40 who've always wanted to be in a rock band, but life got in their way, for a reality show called "Ready 2 Rock." Here's a link to a video of Winstead describing the project.
Labels: accomplishment, age, creativity, daily show, david galenson, genius, lizz winstead, mike rowe, rock, smithsonian, the rake, wired magazine
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Resolutions
We're mid-way through January, a time when most people are breaking their New Year's resolutions, and I have given nary a thought to coming up with one. I figure, if there's something you want to do, why wait until some special date to resolve to do it? Just do it. (Sorry, Nike.) There are some goals I'd like to meet during the year, but I don't see them as resolutions that I must absolutely get done. They're just part of the overall list of goals I've set to reach before I die. (Did I mention that I plan to live to be in my nineties? When I first decided I'd make it to my nineties, I thought 92 would be a good age. Every year since then, the age creeps up. There's too much living to do and not enough time to do it. I'm thinking 97 sounds pretty good.)
My biggest goal for the year is to finish a book project that's been three years in the works. I'd also like to knit a pair of socks, which is something I thought would be nice to do last year, but it didn't happen. Unlike typical New Year's resolutions, did I drop the goal completely? Heck no! I carried it forward. I'm also willing to let the goal evolve to encompass a reasonable facsimile of the original goal. See, I live by the notion that you've got to give the Universe a little leeway in helping you to live your dreams. A little wiggle room. So, I might not get to a pair of socks, but I'll be plenty happy if I can knit a pair of mittens or fingerless gloves.
My biggest goal for the year is to finish a book project that's been three years in the works. I'd also like to knit a pair of socks, which is something I thought would be nice to do last year, but it didn't happen. Unlike typical New Year's resolutions, did I drop the goal completely? Heck no! I carried it forward. I'm also willing to let the goal evolve to encompass a reasonable facsimile of the original goal. See, I live by the notion that you've got to give the Universe a little leeway in helping you to live your dreams. A little wiggle room. So, I might not get to a pair of socks, but I'll be plenty happy if I can knit a pair of mittens or fingerless gloves.
Labels: age, dreams, goals, knitting, new year's, resolutions, universe, writing
