Getting older

I often punctuate my comments in the introductory course that I teach with statements like, "if, like me, you pause to think about all these, you will be amazed at how much everything has changed in a very short period of time."  It boggles my mind.  Based on these changes, I tell them that we have no idea what further changes await.

I don't think many people pause to think about all the changes.  They are so busy rushing around that they have no idea about it all.

As they rush around, people don't even realize that they have long lives ahead of them, for which they are unprepared.

A decade ago, researchers proclaimed that half of the babies born in wealthy countries in this new millennium will live to 100 years, or even more.  They will live through this entire century!

Most of the students in my introductory course are in this category.  Many of them, unless they get into some really bad habits, will perhaps celebrate the new year as the Big Apple descends on December 31, 2099.

I tell them to pause to think about these.  Of course, nobody listens to me!

Japan is already struggling with these changes.   Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, talks of “designing the 100-year-life society”.  Good luck with that!

To deal with the 100-year life society, Japan needs to "persuade current workers to labour longer, encourage more women to enter the workforce and let in more immigrants."  More immigrants because women there are having very few kids, which is rapidly escalating into an acute labor shortage: "Japan’s population is declining by almost 400,000 a year and there are a stunning 1.6 vacancies for every jobseeker."

If only we paused to think about what all these mean here in our own countries.  But, of course, we don't.  When was the last time you heard an American politician discussing such urgent and complex issues related to demographics and aging?

By 2035, there will be 78.0 million people 65 years and older compared to 76.7 million (previously 76.4 million) under the age of 18

To deal with these changes will require the US also to "persuade current workers to labour longer, encourage more women to enter the workforce and let in more immigrants."  But, we already have high participation of women in the workforce, compared to Japan.  And we are forever increasing the age at which seniors can tap into the benefits.  And, of course, under trump, we are making sure that we won't let in more immigrants.

Iceberg alert.  Never mind; full steam ahead!