# Convince me I'm not Old! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 13, 2009, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-im-not-old/502866 "2009-07-13T16:46:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Full_Metal_Lotus)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-im-not-old/502866/21 "2009-07-15T00:41:45Z")
GET OFF MY LAWN! … (Mumble mumble… lousy punk kid…) ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-im-not-old/502866/22 "2009-07-15T01:07:09Z")
Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Brian Jones, and Kurt Cobain. It is universally acknowledged that these are people who all _died young._ You have not quite reached the age they were when they died, therefore, you ain’t anywhere near creeping up on “old.” More to the point, there are pretty good odds that only that last made much of a dent on your consciousness. It’ll be a while yet before the dampness behind your ears evaporates entirely. Still more to the point, I’m old enough to be your father, and _I’M NOT OLD_, so enough with the impertinent questions, already. _wheeze_ ---
**Author:** ![lshaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e36b37/32.png) [@lshaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lshaw)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-im-not-old/502866/23 "2009-07-15T04:12:15Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Allow me to lend some insight on yet another validation-seeking 20 Something’s [quarter life crisis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarter-life_crisis). > > This is why you feel “old”. For most people like you, high school and college was probably the best time of your life (even if you didn’t realize it and thought it sucked). Expectations were clear, advancement was nearly automatic and you were constantly surrounded by peers your own age with similar interests. Even your early 20s probably were pretty cool as you may have had a lot of college friends around, you were excited about starting your career in the “real world” and you had yourself convinced you were more “college guy” than “adult guy”. > > What generally happens after about 25 or so is that it is no longer “cool” for you to be hanging around with college age kids. You are closer to 30 than you are 20. And by now your dreams of superstardom or skyrocketing to success are meeting the harsh reality of how competetive and unforgiving the real world can be. > > IOW, you aren’t “old”, you just aren’t a dumb college-age kid anymore. You can’t even really pretend to be a college-age kid anymore. > > Eventually what will happen (if you aren’t carefull) is you may stop looking towards the future and where you want to go and just sort of settle into your life and that will become your life. Or even worse, you will spend your time reminiscing about shit you did when you were 21. Ugh, tell me about it! Still, I would be sad to lose that wide-eyed sense of wonder that young people possess. Like, you know, your future and your world are amorphous and full of possibilities at the moment. I feel that as you get older, they sort of take shape and have a sense of finality about them. Reality tends to expedite that process. Blech. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-im-not-old/502866/24 "2009-07-15T04:45:27Z")
Pffft! I remember having black-and-white television with only maybe three channels – and liking it! 27, eh? When _I_ was 27, I was still a junior in university and had only ever been to Mexico. Don’t sweat it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-im-not-old/502866.md?page=1)