I hope that in twenty years, I’ll be a lovely old man, accompanied by a lovely old lady. Not seeking great wealth or status, just good health and the ability to travel around.
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I say that in 10 years, the charming old man will be me. I must work hard to become a charming old man. The good future of China will surely be one with kind old men and women. Even if I am 60 years old in 10 years, I will still be the youngest in this world.
To be honest, people think it’s pretty good for a 50-year-old Chinese man to have this physique. But behind this body is the motto I believe in: the more disciplined you are, the freer you become! When the rain stopped, I wanted to go running, and I’ll play soccer tomorrow afternoon. At 50, I can still play big games – I’m not kidding, and often play with professionals. But what’s behind it? Discipline. I spend my remaining days running, and some people find running very monotonous. The more disciplined you are, the freer you become. Because of my discipline, I am free to run, never listening to music, because I think listening to my own breath is the most beautiful music for running.
Otherwise, I rarely use the treadmill. And a lot of people say Beijing’s smog is so bad, but I run five days a week – two days are already reserved for the smog. What’s different about me, though, is that I never stop. Every month, I mark a day in my journal—in my experiences—for each day I run; there are never fewer than 18 days a month. Running just flies by. And when I run, I don’t wear glasses, but more importantly, I’m still playing soccer every week. The last class I teach my graduate students will be at my house, and the theme is fun. I think fun is so important; I never deal with people who have no joy or hobbies.
To treat them with respect and keep a distance – such people are too frightening. If you don’t find joy, what joy do you have? I really don’t have much either. What kind of work do you like? This year, early on, one of my graduate students was assigned to China News Weekly. We had a special series called “To…” Every year when my graduate students graduated, their final assignment was to write an article about 10 years from now, which I would keep. Then, 10 years later, I would unfold them one by one. I also wrote about turning 50 and writing to 60 – a distant place I never thought I’d reach, far beyond the map, but suddenly it’s my next stop. My students, when they were 20 writing to 30, that was a love letter from spring to summer. But when I turned 50 writing to 60, it just became the murmuring of late summer to autumn. Now, I’m writing to 10 years from now – writing about myself, slowly, about my bed, a meal, and the people around my family. That’s perfectly normal.
But what kind of person should one be at 60 years old? My premise is very clear. In the preface, this article is quite long. I said that in 10 years, a lovable old man will be me, and I want to work hard to become a lovable old man. For China to be endearing, it depends not only on having more young people who must become citizens, no longer just ordinary folks, energetic young people, and young people who understand the rules. A good future China must have good old men and good old women. Currently, there are already over 230 million people in China over 60 years old. In 10 years, it will definitely exceed three hundred million. That is to say, just considering the population aged 60 and above, if China were a country on its own, it would be among the top five in the world, or even potentially the third largest. Just think about how terrifying that is?
I don’t think so. I don’t know if everyone has seen a table online today showing the average life expectancy of various provinces and municipalities in China; Shanghai and Beijing both exceed 80 years old, counting both men and women on average. The average lifespan certainly gives men a significant advantage over women. That means that even when I’m 60 in ten years, I’ll be one of the youngest in this third stage of life. As for the future, women retire at an average age of 55, with 25 years remaining until their average lifespan of 80; men retire at 60, with 20 years remaining until their average lifespan of 80! You can’t just spend your time dancing square dances. And I can say that the older sisters and brothers dancing square dances today are a cultural habit and entertainment form brought to them by the times.
In another 20 years, the next generation may still have square dancing, but there will be a significant decrease. The younger generation is no longer an active participant in group activities. Just as older people prefer to travel in tour groups, young people are increasingly opting for independent and self-guided trips. Square dancing will continue, but its scope will certainly shrink. There’s nothing good or bad about this; it’s simply the times changing, constantly evolving. When I was 60, I was the youngest member of the team. What kind of person should I be? Chinese painting says that at 60, your ears are attuned – but I definitely wouldn’t listen then, still easily annoyed by things I shouldn’t be bothered by, and even getting upset when happy. More importantly, what can I do for the younger generation?
What do you do for a good cause? Don’t be lazy, don’t give in easily, oppose what needs opposing. If someone young might harm your interests, can you stand in front of them? I often have to look at this mirror now, back and forth. A good friend of mine has passed away. Tao Wei used to gather with us frequently at our house, and once told me a true story. We all felt the pain together. The older generation, like Chen Lao, kept everything in their homes – you break open a box, and there are 30-something items tucked under the bed. You tell him, “This shirt cost over 500 to buy, now it’s being offered as tribute,” lighting incense every day. Therefore, our generation is accustomed to battling wits with our parents. How much would something costing 700 bring back?
- But it’s easy to cause trouble. Tao Wei once spent over 400 yuan buying a T-shirt for his dad. The T-shirt was really nice, how much did it cost? 99. I wore that style. The next day, things went badly. When he came back in the evening, he asked Tao Wei for 400 yuan and wanted him to buy four more. Today, when I wore it out, Uncle Li and many others praised it. They said that this kind of deception carries a great risk, and you shouldn’t do such things as you get older. I won’t mention the specific person in the hospital orthopedic department; elderly people fracture their bones, and the crucial reason is often the shoes bought from street vendors. Of course, this is just about the material aspect. Even when you’re old, you still need a spiritual life, you still need curiosity, and you still want to shield young people from the wind and rain – live each day happily.
I feel curious and excited, looking forward to the moment I turn 60, feeling that it will be a beautiful beginning
Thank you everyone