Life Begins at Forty - Walter B. Pitkin

8/10/2019 Life Begins at Forty - Walter B. Pitkin

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childhoodand

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earebusy growing

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helong, hardpull

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ocializedandcom-

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ers,inhis charming

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possibilitiesof beingeducated

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xpansionandsocialcol-

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experienced.Afew

aterialsofscholar-

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asionallysparkling,

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youth.Finallyyou

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rk,mightinfer

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44/183

essionalman.Foolsdie

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isstrangestoryof

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raordinarydramas;

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tion,nobodyknew

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thecompletesense,

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pleasantthought.

oflife afterfortyis

hesilliest,thestupid-

hemost recklessof

thismeridianis

heworm.Yourcom-

growingmajority

terprising,shrewd,

sperouspeople.So,

crossforty,youdraw

vestmentof your

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50/183

our assetsafterforty?

est? Whatsortof

hichbusinesssuits

dforty?Whatis their

mereluck,depends

freeenergyandthe

tothetaskat hand.

bungling.Skill

dequateperformance.

beginlifeat forty,

ersonalquestions

orkandplaythat

n youcanaffordto

musttrain yourmind,

ofworkingandplay-

recision.Let'sconsider

ndingtherightthing

ctivityusesupa

nacertainorder and

yvaryconsiderably

chasthework of

arounddozingfor

nhourof high

esorputtingout afire.

ofeffortis involved,


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51/183

Thousandsofwork

s modernindustrial

osethatfit your

tellyouwherethey

t knowyourpowers.

ow youmaypick

esofworkyouthink

arinfive varieties

nipulatingideas,

onjuringupschemes

ssoflife'sfuelthan

Indeed,solittleis

beenable tomeasure

statementthata

lesliceofbreadand

enoughenergyfor

ymentalproblem.

hebrainuses less

ergyin thesugar;

sumedinincidental

chashandlinga

adwhilein deep

asapieceofwork,

sclosetobeingeffort-

be.

yisreachedwhen

selfinwrittenlanguage.

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52/183

hanthemere pounding

ngofawetpen across

onguemuscles

rs.Afterafashion,

st,thenset down

he energythus

asuredagainstmanual

redtimesgreater

nking,as almostany

fullytestify.

thatofpublic

egreelittle realized

hard workoften

ageformofmanual

gexhaustsmanya

t,ifmannersper-

urmost brilliant

irtyminutesofpublic

nandrestfornearly

wefindconcert

rmance,bothcalling

eyouevernoticed

atsingers?

ppearsin thehan-

erialthings.Herewe

irononhis anvil,

onastatue,theprinter

ctinkeringawayat

evarietyofexertion


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53/183


54/183

problemof company

emustharangue

s.Withina weekhe

bondissues.Nextwe

ofsullen workers

rapidshiftingfrom

usesvastlymore

stickstoasingle mode

usesupmuchofhis

ourplaceonthese

energyhaveyouto

rhapsbyyourfamily

nswerthatquestion.

fityourchoiceof

it.Andingeneral,

velofbestperformance

at leastonestepbelow

edbeforeforty.Normally

umpmuchatthat age.

ciablyuntilcloseto

ndit seemsthe

cipatethechange

wandsomewhat

nedbeforeyou

esinyourpreviously

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55/183

chtime.Worktoward

,at first,allofyour

vedwithlittleor no

eleadtheSimplified

usedwiththe

obea careerof

vemilesfromthe

eatre.TheSimplified

trivingthatdoesnot

sbeenskillfullypurged.

ethefullforceofone's

owerisfritteredaway

rybodypastforty

ingup islargelya

edesires infavorof

pullin, weconcentrate

gwishes.So,even

fenergiesmay

ethemmoreefficiently.

cesofsuccessand

plifiedLifemay

eandfeverishtothe

eindispensablesaimed

urgesofenergy,while

nvisibletoall savethe

anizedsystemofdesires

duringsatisfaction.


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56/183

meresimplifyingwill

tussay,one's decline

tainto necessitate

vel.Oftenthis means

reationsmustbe

omasteranewthe

eforeforty,has

te,to speak,tomake

ndtools,and to

inhimselfthe equip-

nd freeoutletforhis

eator howslightthese

s workandplayto

othavetoremodel

ponwhateverstrains

rtwoin otherdirec-

yadaptableindividual.

d,ishe not?How

met?Few,I'msure!

mdecadetodecade.

vesshrewdly,wework

eakofaccomplish-

one? Letmeillustrate

hich,asyouwillguess,

fthelesson.

-five,isgeneral

ncumminGadget

thirtythousanda


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57/183

wohundredbusy

ed,green,black,and

lmapbywayof

mentsoftheday;

mes;writingmile-

ofthegadgetmarket;

entowinvotesfora

ngandchromium-

liquidoratorybefore

Manufacturersat

moreliquidbutless

ethelocaladvertising

dnesday;andsoon

toilsonfourof the

described.Hedoes

d tools.Henever

shingdepartmentto

st tokeephismuscles

fcourseandthe

shisdigestivetract

andlegs.Whatwith

usinessworries,

donsleep.So,as

ntells himtoslow

ofhimself.

pothetical,has

owtheadvice.Sohis

thoutgivingupany


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58/183

hecuts outmostof

oldasanymanof

tnoranidiot should

dcanplaytennis

sWilliamRandolph

mustdropit early,or

Archibaldalso

ndafter-theater

egeLatincourse

cciditgula quam

hours religiously.

rspeechesfromtwenty

suffers.Thushe

longasusual,holds

wshisthirtythousand

rty-five.

e takesthesecond

otenough.Hemust

d highestlevelof

endhimselfless

eople.This done,he

er activitiesunabated

hetrick?

thmicroscopic

efindsthatevening

exhausthimmost of

veanddiplomatic

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thanthatofgiving


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59/183

servesthatthis

fhe canhaveitover

epersuadesthe

oursofdiscussion

ssortateleveno'clock,

onference.Halfa

outtouseup

ly,soallareeither

quentlyorshifted

gor.

ecidestomake

dthegadgetfactory

departmentand

toolsthere.Healso

ningathiscountry

greeablesubstitute

versoplanning,he

nd lingerslonger

s.

omingfiftiesand

delivermoreimportant

ess,economics,and

.Heenjoystheplat-

baritonevoice,as

berdashery,impresses

speciallybecause

snor evenglancesdown

esbutspeaksforth-

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60/183

isfurtheraided

he broaderaspects

rs.Hedevotesmuch

usbooksand tostudy-

ndreports,notalone

ustrybutalsotouching

esita firmruletowrite,

ss,articlesforthetrade

eties,andbetternews-

sofsomepublicinterest

orefuninthis than

sionallykickshimself

yearssooner.

esasinceretheory

,andsocialwelfare.

ethelessallhis own;

ytimeheendeavors

ointin it.Thuswe

birthday,freefrom

ustmentso common

inlivingafter forty

ebalancebetweenhis

his useofthatfund

ppy.Oh,excellent

uart hypothetical!

wish.Iknowmany

begun alittleearlier,

getherandutterlyyou.

on,Archibald,isn'tit?


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61/183

ynothingmorethan

ntexperimentanybody

ivemore abundantly

dplaytothe natural

entisour education,

onot thinkofvoca-

ilyinterms ofthework

es.Wethinkof them

normoneyorsocial

ndgravestblunder.

thegreatest,has

dpatternofenergy

ne.Itusesup therefore

anyouaffordit? Is

odo withthatsame

ow,perhapsfiveyears

n,willyield higher

elofenergydo youad-

whichleastsmoothly?

caloriesseemstonet

?Canyouendurea

eople?Canyoulive

fteachinga classroom

uknockoffat least

dy?Doesa dayina

atigueyou?

hquestionsabout

Assoon asyoudo

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62/183

ei sseven,andIcare

eafterthat."

ributedtosome

eright. I'dchange

ingasyllable.Give

nty,andI carenot

r that.

hildisbadlyhandled

tisalmostimpossible

altwistsin hisnature

tyyearsarebyall

sis whyourmost

egoodDr.Clendening,

ndfeedingofadults.

urelyisthemost

mdetermininginexor-

.Onlytheweakand

heir infancy.Ofthem,

andthe others

thoughtheories

egressions,suppres-

emuchlessreliable.


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63/183

ashegrows,addsnew

wmodesofbehavior,

tial nature.Many

seriesofJekyll-and-

dingupwithperson-

esofyouth survive.

s adistinct

ear-oldisbynomeans

dthickenedbytime.

plyanadolescent

nces.Tosupposethat

yinto animalnature

mannature.

eleasesenergyis

ssusceptibilityto

pendswhollyuponthe

tissues.Babyhood

olescenceanother,

nilityafourth.Babies

hleavetheirelders

ofinfectionswhichfail

o,you see,lifebefore

riginalsubstances

m;andtheresult is

anofa normal

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64/183

nthat"thechild is

thisquarter-truth.

issolveshourbyhour

pitatelingersin

ofthepsycho-

daysinclinetoseein

ethanthe lengthening

illestblundersofour

heresy.

analystswhotell

re spentstrivingto

es.Thestatementis

alse.Foranormal

r,manyintensewishes.

up.Oneweekhe sighs

thslater hisideal

tiveengineer.Before

owardthegreater

afterSantaClaus

out Africahedreams

terofrhinoceri.

outeveryhalfyear,

eus.Thentoo,they

smallclusters.This

onoftheparallel

erveandmuscle

rdexercise.So,you

boutachildhoodwish.


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65/183

hin eachchild'slife

madman,andacer-

s longasithas

vitably,whenyougrow

ties,youdo some-

longwishingto do.If

ortunities,youwould

eequallysatisfied.

orty,opportunity

form;andtheneach

as longsincebeen

sasan infantilewish

alse;itis meaningless,

d,eachpartly rooted

sformedoverand

erveningyears.The

hitmoreimportant

bybabyyearnings,

hattheywanttodo

d! Thentellme

dsoul.He proves

the spiritandthe

emanwho begins

ewants todo.If

h,hecannotbegin


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66/183

nedesiresis much

ngthedesire.And,

man'sfirst business

mustemulate

denPondwiththis

livedeliberately,tofront

fe,and seeifI couldnot

,andnot,whenIcameto

lived.Ididnot wishtolive

sodear;nordidI wishto

ssitwasquitenecessary.I

ckout allthemarrowoflife.

ddedathought

yamind, beforeand

tthat filledtheearly

laterquietistsand

htthatwelledupin

e:

us;lateandsoon,

aywasteourpowers:

tisours;. ..

detail...

twoor three,notahundred

million,counthalfadozen,

nyourthumbnail.

choolsandcolleges

sonofThoreau!


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67/183

dersinuniversity-

ncomplainedthat

ogramsandpolicies

fhazyorganizing,

ockingturnoverof

attendanceofthose

Raretheadult who

mofthesort offered

tutions.Howavoid

nsomemannernot

schemeisunsound?

eld takethis

rusttheir

ficeof learning

rtof thesubstructure

ecisephrase,we call

on."Thisflaw,in

edbya breakdown

ophyoflife.Nobody

ghthenewworldto

eworthyandthe

erspectiveandanew

dto glimpsethem-

fillsthedeepestin

eethemselvesin

mselvesintime.For

isawry.Weorder

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68/183

atmustdependon

meatourdisposal.

o hisagemust

inalllife planning.

e book.

bleinso-called

ingrealitiesor

dytheircatalogues.

ofcourses:first,

,bookkeeping,account-

osity"business

conversation,readings

appreciationof

enthcenturymeta-

ltswhoattendsuch

roup franklyseek

hbetterjobs and

o plainly,thesubjects

do witheducation;

ngtoil.Members

s clear.Someofthem

g"culture,"while

avealwaysregretted

ege(ordidnot work

nto makeupforthe

mplybecausethey

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s,havegossipedwith

elephone,andhave


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69/183

shopping;sothey

g-or-Other.

gesforaccedingto

setwogroups.

facturingandgarbage

odthings,is subject

emand;whatpeople

Butasforoffering

at'sanotherstory!

theyneed.Andthey

mtheyneedsomething

anthe poorfacultydo?

rylittleperhaps

eginsafterforty,no

ut sweetdosesof

ll oakwiththe

mandoes notknow

svaintosell hima

fortycannotappraise

andchooseher

tbe oftheslightest

parallelbetweenthe

ofaneighteen-year-old

rmalperson atforty.

s betweenthediets

e.Toimaginethatsome

enedformofadolescent

fiberistobetray a

humannature.


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70/183


71/183

erforty,learningbegins

ofmakinga living.

erof culture.Itis

erstandwhyEuro-

orrowfullyoverour

.Theybeholdus,the

ofextractingpower

ingourownpersonal

eystanddumbfounded

ools,ourclubs,our

ife.Howcanpeople

beso stupidwith

dictment,intheraw.

ndafterfortyalike,

oneormoreoffive

suallywith imper-

rabominableschool

mrealities.Mostof

ren inmanyrespects.

vetheirown lives.

orwealthorpower

estpioneertradition;

bberswhoseonly

dis gainedthrough

pdoodleentertain-

occurs.Theturtle


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72/183

velindictating

careers;or,ashus-

;or,aswives,theyneg-

ctatingandtotalneglect,

ound;and theresult

ergenerationand

ritans,theydictate

affairs,enactingend-

ever obeyed;arousing

olenceagainstthose

e;thusproducing

chisAmericaofthe

epupwith the

ryleastdetail,from

hats,lesttheybecome

kbythepackof yellow

wouldrun.Thus

ttraceof theirown

makeimpossiblelife

scape?Yes,but

tis,it isnotopento

eintelligenceandthe

fterforty.Thelearner

tals.Hemustlearn

owrite,andtoobserve.

;as wehaveseen,they


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73/183

ethereforeappropriate

thisall.Masteryof

takenhereintheir

mouslysimplifythela-

Thelucidschool

gwithlittleeffort,

bunglerofphrasesand

arymilesto advance

erpacksintoten

spillsthrougha

e higherlevelsof

thefundamentals

ha givenquantum

stentimesmorethan

isspeechandthoughts

agecollegegraduate.

liveis,among

fectivelytoallthat

oi nduceresponses

Didn't somebody

cialcreature?)Well,

rivateutility of

notthesheerjoy

hing toknowwhat's

stal,notthroughmurk?

iveuntil,among

hecansaywhathe

othingtosay,can

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etelegraphcompanies

harge.Haveyou

eovertheirstereotyped

hristmasandNew

natthese sorry

dlytearover the

em.

egraphblankcon-

these:"Merry

ot forgettohangup

bye,OldYear,hello

orightbyyou!"

age,isanemptysquare

derandalsoserves

ection.Therehemarks

andthedeedis done.

irestheaddressofthe

eynumbershowing

houghtsis tobe

edisdone.

anduglynakedness

adult.Werehisnumber

ompaniescouldnot

reposterousform

peciesis absorbedwith

ontentto stumble

Butafterforty,when

e,whatwillsuch

animaginetheir


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ellikehalf-blindanimals

hoolswillbe so

sdrilledto thinkas

ible.Thiswill,inmany

fe aswellasto make

Butits noblest

thelearnerhaspassed

iteasyandpleasant

tput apacewiththe

body.

o usehisnative

both speechand

nbegin toserveasan

eavytoilerinhisspecial

tensivetrainingwill

dexpresshimself

notwithinhailing

completelytoim-

anguageof pupils,

afterforty.The

yofour middle-aged

easurebecharged

correctthisevil,a

eteachersthemselves

forty;fortheytoil

ergyastheymanage

rhapsthehardestofall


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olcanneverarisefrom

ourse,weare

pace.Andthoseof

einbredhandicapsof

rythatis alltooshort.

nmostofushave

sto live."

onesinceredispenser

te, withdeadly

ngthatmostAmericans

utIthinkmost

istswillagreewithme

NGLARGELYBECAUSE

rsilly dollar-

ndof factoryandour

ll carryoverinto

oandthrust ofyouth.

businessorganization

sydreamsofswift

rivethemtothe

ras foremen;and

nnaturetohold the

cansdieoffmuch

heirkidneys,hearts,

y,asa rule.Byfifty-

cking.If,havingabused


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ethbirthdays,they

panicof oncoming

nliving,theymay

bablypassfromthe

r thedeeperdamage

ndone.

afterfortyandto

oreandten, youmust

isaplatitudeof such

ashamedtoechoit

rrecords.Startright,

n.Youwillliveto

barringaccidentsand

rld."

mark!Therecords

owhow greatmen

twentiesandreached

dthenyouwonder

afterforty.

e trueonlyof

ement.Poets,painters,

scientistsand

owerwhileyoung.

d'sbestworkhas

.Andthus itwill


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78/183

tsof youth?Fire,

sefeeling.Wherever

alityor theamount

antage.Butyouth

ghendeavorwhich

sonedjudgment,awide

caution,andpatience.

arlieronemastersit.

neasywork,of

worldiftheydidn't.

onimaginationor

donemagnificently

cadesoflife.Work

ndingofmenand

ysicalworld,isseldom

aterinour world.

theirfullpowers

mendestinedto

omes,comparatively

egeprofessors,scien-

yersseldomdo.Engi-

an astonishingdegree,

hsummedupinthe

ericanSocietyof

mmitteeonEconomic

engineers,forexample,

theageoffifty-five

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79/183

entof thesesame

inuetoincreasetheir

ageofsixty,whenall

tisingaretakingin

Thepoorest10 per

hpeakearningaround

makingabout$3,500

moretimein train-

mustli ngerlonger

gsaregoinghere as

veinearlymiddle

as foundthatthe

ofindubitablegreat-

masterpiecesis47.4

minentmenof all

isinquiry;but the

enotsegregated,hence

betweenthespecific

ear.Thorndikedoes,

ebroaderquestion

;andhisansweris

rs.

sbeginswellbefore

nelsewhere,1byfar

lysignificantcreative

befoundonthe shady

wfields arenearly

ment,"pp.201f.,NewYork,1930.


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en,notablymedical

hiefreasonforthe

ofDr.WilliamOsier

g,vitalizingwork

eentheagesoftwenty-

yisa gameofyouth,

ect.Likewisewith

f Schubert,Mozart,

onflowsoftenfrom

wetocallit anachieve-

owever,thelist

ndthe richertri-

hair.Handelwrote

six,andBachthe

tforty-four.Haydn's

fty,andhis "Crea-

ven.Beethoven

ngyear;hismost

ebetweenforty-fiveand

stanandIsolde"

sifal"atsixty-nine.

onaLisaat fifty-

veorsixgreatest

fterfifty.FransHals

hingsafterseventy,

ttremendouscon-

topaintbetweenhis

hyears.Uptohis


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premeartistGoya

uence,accordingtohis

pasmsofillhealth

ofcreativegenius

hroughhisforties,

dthen throughhis

ratemuchuntil well

nty-twoheetched

yplatesdepictingscenes

d,besidesthese,a

mosteverymajor

congregationofelders

ccomplishments.

ork?Aren'tthings

euponatime,yes.

othe otherendofthe

rovingourpoint.Let me

eone,furthermore,

housandsofothers.

eof themost

heworld.Ourheroine

Oris itEmilyGriffith?

saidtoMiss

clo'esallmylife.

herhands.They

rheumatism."I

tocomedownhyeh


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I'sealwayswanted

kindold blackface

nthe worl'!"

,theystoodto-

nverPublicOppor-

nineinthemorning

dentsfromeightyears

anlearnanythingyou

lythatit helpsyouto

We'llhelpyou

nttobe?"

upleof hundredfeet

ansaid,watchingher

white andblack

ellowandalltheshades

mmoronicandsub-

ttheygot taught

neverheardof;she

his stumpedher.

ellsaboutit, "I

lthem,'Youcan't.'

omantothe

dto theteacher,

fthemillinerydepart-


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83/183

arteststores."Have

gottotryif shewants

methingelse."

andseewhatitled

htfulcolorcombina-

ainedeyeswould

ffandbentold fingers

ndbowsanddelicate

utwhenshecouldn't

ent,andlearned

hats.Thehatthe

adewasadeaconess'

al,blackandwhite

mall,strongstitches

eyesandbentfingers

ngandhonorable

returnedtothe wash-

entbusinessin

tead,andobtained,I

themarket.

vesin nottelling

knowthey can't?"

everypsychologist

anagertoday.Skill

fastand surelyby

donlythat the


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84/183

tbuildupan inner

tthisbad trait,for

lifeat forty.

yhamperedby

titudestowardone's

dog newtricks

an interestinthis

lyhewill not.And

neofthemostvexa-

ems,thehatred

chinvolvesaman's

s.

evolutionbegan

ochangeofoccupation

causedendlessmis-

seenit inaguise

somewhat.Thehand

tionofthepowerloom.

islife toblockingthe

ngmachines.Weusu-

suchbattles,thatthese

holdtheirjobs.It is

preservation.Andso

soinfact.

owerfultrends;

one'soldjobvanishes,

otakeits place;and,

bstinateantipathy

fferent.Unfortu-


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85/183


86/183

odemandonlya small

formeragesmenwere

dtheir employers.

oose.Andthe older

ome.

urjob initsplace

yourselftoit. Among

swhereintoilersearn

morethanonein a

unityasanoutlet

abilities. Doyou

alization?Thenplease

edone.Runthrough

cupations"published

ngthenumbersin

factorieswheremen

ullyemployedand

courseofatypical

omicscale,the

nanswerable.More

awayat rockandcoal

: nochancetherefor

orethanfourmillion

es,killpigs, pluck

w,andhoeup and

blazingsunsome

day.Whatsort ofa

selfadequatelythrough


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87/183

rmillionclerksspend

gs andcorkscrews

sand electricflatirons

million,mostly

vants,collectingslops,

dows,andbeating

dingandenriching

anfourteenmillion

oundblastfurnaces,

ndwhereverelse

fasterthanpeoplecan

hereare lucky;

spirits whoconjure

ystudythose onwhich

ofourmillionswitch-

ors,firemen,engineers,

nd motor-trucklines;

notonousdutiesthat

ethatayearof training

erexpert.Thencomethe

rcarriers,postalclerks,

officesofallsorts,the

mbers,painters,lathers,

killedlaborers,among

entor2per centfind

orsomecreativework

joymentofasort


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88/183

s,thevolumeof

anddead-endjobsis

nanyof ourmillion

s,pharmacists,and

onals;thepictureis

hecarpentersand

stjuniorexecutives

erearemorethana

upwardto thatthin,

aboratory,thecollege

heoperatingroom

gnificentpaneled

ve,doyoufind ample

dsthere atwork.

ericansgainfully

ngtofind morethan

developthemselves

and-butterjobs.

eableto doso,for

rdmoremachines

tasks.

moretrivialas a

exactlywhatitshould

ga living.Asmen

hemselves.Afew

elofWork willhave

stry;itwillbe no

hofrottenquackery.


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89/183

ave todevotetheir

ybecausetheymust

astaspossible,so

atforty.Asolder

klessseriously,the

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duringsatisfac-

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chieflyforourun-

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FORTY

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ghermathematics

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nghis score.Again,he

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older.Theyhave

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atfairlyshriekinto

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ttoworkoutanational

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tingonthecharac-

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n,andIfindthat I

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mates,about148,000,-

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atesofthe old

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ortywillhaveattained

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he Elderswill

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lprobability.Trade

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agoodlynumberof

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populationcrisisis

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nfact,I completeda

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bout1975,itis that

gto alltheiraffairs

chnologythanthe

oday.Supposethat

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marktimein their

hatthenextgeneration

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parewith1932?

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)Notonefinancier

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133/183

wa hundredbusi-

ore1935 anewhigh

ached.Thismakes

moredifficultthansome

Donham)seemto

rangeprophecies

eyappear.Forin-

entscanbemade

rancethanabout

hbearon theproblem

70and1980,electric

eascheapas water

asedto beafactorin

mptiongoods.In

owncountry,Canada,

dperhapselsewhere

significanceinthe

cationofscientific

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ctionof thepresent.

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techniquegoes;all

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at ncbodywill

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135/183

today,thesemenwill

antheirfathersof

ureoftheir achieve-

pprogress.

lichygiene,and

mbinetoincrease

ndrelativenumberof

ghouttheworld.Where

withgoodmindsand

ntedandretarded

adfood,narcotics,

Life Begins at Forty - Walter B. Pitkin

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