# Birthdays! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 7, 2002, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays/107704 "2002-05-07T12:38:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays/107704/1 "2002-05-07T12:38:09Z")
Some of us know that **Zyada** ’s birthday was yesterday, May 6. Happy B’day! And she tells me that **Beat** … no, that’s **Ringo** has his today. Happy B’day to you too! ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@Lord\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays/107704/2 "2002-05-07T19:35:24Z")
**Happy Birthday, Ringo!** And another one to you, **Zyada** Jim ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays/107704/3 "2002-05-08T00:23:34Z")
Birthdays left, right, and centre! I **REALLY** have to see my friends about a phonetic Chinese version of “Happy Birthday”! But for now, English will serve quite well. **HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ZYADA!!!** **HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RINGO!!!** ---
**Author:** ![sward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@sward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sward)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays/107704/4 "2002-05-08T00:53:36Z")
I’ve never understood why people celebrate birthdays. Congratulations on being another year closer to the grave! ---
**Author:** ![Dirty\_Earthworm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Dirty\_Earthworm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dirty_Earthworm)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays/107704/5 "2002-05-08T02:02:11Z")
Where was this thread a few weeks ago, when there was a Dirty Earthworm looking for a birthday wish? (April 21, for the record.) -Dirty, another year closer to the grave ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays/107704/6 "2002-05-08T02:09:04Z")
I gave **Ringo** his birthday smooches in the other thread, so I will just say here… Happy belated birthday, **Zyada**! ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays/107704/7 "2002-05-08T03:02:51Z")
Happy birthday, Zyada! ::MsRobyn makes a special birthday cake for Zyada:: Robin ---
**Author:** ![Scotticher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Scotticher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scotticher)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays/107704/8 "2002-05-09T04:01:50Z")
Happy Birthday MONTH!!! [sub]this being a clever way to escape being conspicuously late for the party…d’ya think it worked? Didn’t think so. Oh well…[/sub] Smooches and huggles and lots of good wishes to **Zyada** and **Ringo!** Y’all are good people, and I am proud to be your friend. Much Love, Cheri ---
**Author:** ![knock\_knock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/22d042/32.png) [@knock\_knock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knock_knock)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birthdays/107704/9 "2002-05-09T04:14:57Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by sward_ > **I’ve never understood why people celebrate birthdays. Congratulations on being another year closer to the grave!** Being a year older does not mean you’re a year closer to the grave, it just means you’re a year farther from the womb. Looking back from when you were dead, once that day was defined, then you would be able to say that each year you got one year closer to death. But looking forward from the present until when you die, the day you die on doesn’t have a well-defined meaning. All you can look at is your expected remaining lifetime, and that usually doesn’t shorten by 1 year for each year you live. For instance, if the average life expectancy is 78, a 20-yr-old might reasonably think she had about 58 years left, but a 77-yr-old should probably think she had more than a year left. Maybe before this year you thought you would die on August 14, 2048. Now after this year you’re one year closer to August 14, 2048. But now your best guess at when you’ll die is different. If you’ve acquired a health problem, it will be sooner, but otherwise, it will be a little later, maybe September 3, 2048. So you’re expected to be about 345 days closer to death than you were last birthday. Although there still remains the question of why you’re choosing anniversaries of the day you were born on to forecast your death from. I like to think more optimistically, and celebrate my birthday as “Yay! Another year without dying!” And of course, congratulations to **Zyada** and **Ringo**.