An idea for living 'youthfully' even after passing the age of 60

When thinking about the question of how to live in the '100-year life era,' I believe the multifaceted nature of 'age' is something so obvious that we tend to overlook it.

The age that most people think of as a matter of course is 'chronological age.' It is the number that represents how many years have passed since birth.

“How old are you now?”
“Yes, I will be 60 soon.”
“It’s almost time for your Kanreki (60th birthday). Congratulations!”

Setting aside what is celebratory about 'Kanreki,' few people would feel any particular discomfort with this conversation.

Many people think that 'age' is a number representing how many years one has lived since birth.

However, if you think about it for a moment, you will notice that there are actually various kinds of 'age' in this world.

For example, there is the concept of 'health age.'
When we say, 'That person is young,' it likely means that the person in question 'looks younger' than their 'chronological age' or 'maintains the same level of physical ability as a young person.'

Conversely, when we say, 'That person looks old,' it is used in the opposite sense of 'young,' meaning the person 'looks older' than their 'chronological age' or 'has lower physical ability than their actual age.'

This concept of 'health age' can be said to be based on 'biological age,' which represents how young (or old) the body is.

Also, there is something called 'subjective age.'
It is not about evaluation by others or 'appearance,' but rather the age that represents how you feel about your own state. Everyone likely has some sense of how young or how old they are.

However, I believe that such ideas and concepts as 'health age' and 'subjective age' are extremely strongly influenced by what is called 'social age.'

'Social age' might be called the 'image' of that age, where an individual's age is recognized in light of social common sense and norms.
Phrases like, 'You're only in your teens, how could you do such a terrible thing...'
“You're turning 30 soon, so get it together!” or
“You're 60 years old, what are you doing?” are all statements based on some kind of 'social age.'

And I feel that in Japan, this 'social age' has taken root in society as a very significant presence and has a strong influence.

For example, in Japan, when people appear in television or newspaper news, their age is almost always displayed. This is likely because it is socially believed (or there is a certain consensus) that knowing the age is very important for judging the right or wrong of what the person in question has done.

Also, the three-piece set that defines the Japanese way of working—'hiring new graduates all at once, seniority-based personnel systems, and the mandatory retirement system'—is, I believe, an operating system (OS) of society based precisely on 'social age.'

Because this OS is widely established in society, haven't we acquired a tendency to align ourselves with 'social age' rather than our own perception of our age ('subjective age')?

In particular, the 'mandatory retirement system' can be said to forcibly change one's social role based solely on 'chronological age,' without taking into account any conditions such as each individual's health status, job performance ability, physical strength, or health condition.

In order to live happily in the super-longevity era known as the '100-year life era,' it is necessary to escape from the spell of this 'social age.'

Therefore, what I would like to recommend to everyone who has passed the age of 60 and reached retirement is to 'return to age 0 at Kanreki and start counting your chronological age again.'

When I reached my 61st birthday, it was a sudden idea, but I thought, 'Since I reached Kanreki at 60 and have completed one cycle of life, why not start counting from 0 again?' and I declared to my family, 'Today is Papa's 1st birthday!'

At first, my family looked puzzled or tilted their heads, but they went along with it, saying, 'Well, if that's what you want to do, we'll go along with it,' and since there was no particular denial or opposition, I became a 'one-year-old' in our household.

However, I think this ridiculous idea is producing some unexpected results.

After all, when I turned 61, perhaps due to the influence of 'social age,' I naturally found myself saying 'I'm already 61', but when I recognize myself as being 1 year old, I can't say 'already 1', I can only say 'still only 1'.

The difference between 'already' and 'still' is significant.

Just by saying 'still,' you can feel a little bit of 'youth.' And by constantly being conscious of 'still,' you can actually start to feel a sense of energy and strength in your body.

To live a vibrant and exciting life in the '100-year life era,' the most important thing is to never lose your 'youthfulness'.

As one idea for achieving that, I recommend 'returning to age 0 at 60 and counting your age again.'

In the world of Buddhism, 120 years old is called the 'Great Kanreki.' Once you reach the age of 60, it might be fun to return to 0 and aim for the 'Great Kanreki' 60 years later.