On another thread, I read people saying that 51 years old is not middle aged. I'm assuming they are saying a person at 51 isn't old enough to be middle aged?

So what's middle aged?

I'm 36 and I consider myself almost middle aged. I don't consist myself old at all or feel old. If the average life span of a man is 75-85, then around 40 would be middle aged.

Then again maybe I'm in a labor day BBQ stupor big enough to rival the state of Texas and aquanet hair and over thinking this.

I used to consider the decade of the sixties to be "middle-aged." Seemed about right. Matched up with my idea of what it would look like: pudgy, gray, wrinkled - the stereo-type.

But that seems to imply death around 120 years of age.

I'm 54, and I guess that makes me middle-aged, considering I probably won't live till 100 years old. I just had to stop thinking in terms of stereo-types.

Like you, I certainly don't (usually) feel middle-aged. Still have tons of energy, active, in shape. But underneath this brown hair is gray and I do have a few crows feet around the eyes.

And.....is THAT my neck???

Oh, well....

I have not a clue what middle aged is as I am inching ever so close to the 50 year mark.

Lately I have notice I am getting younger. Natural highlights have appeared, so have freckles on my hands, and just the other day I noticed my arms are getting shorter as I was reading.

There is no middle aged.

"Middle aged" to me implies in the middle of my life. So unless you have genes like MINE, you are not "middle aged" at 51!! My grandmother is 99 and is still pretty healthy, so I suspect that age 50 was her middle age.

I cringe whenever I see someone talk about "mid life" crisis because it is so irrational. It makes no sense to me. I think Harley is correct when he calls it a form of denial.

I'm 35 and nowhere near it!

Question: What is middle aged?

Answer: Early 40's

That was an easy one! NEXT ...

For the life of me I have never been able to understand the meaning of "mid life crisis." The users of this syndrome seem to use it to excuse bad behavior of those in the 30-50 age range even though the same behavior is demonstrated by 20 and 60 yr olds. I don't know why!!!

MLC is a great excuse to do something really idiotic. Next time I want to do something idiotic, that's the excuse I'm going to use!

...oh...oops, that's right, the POJA will keep me in line...

POJA ruined all your fun, huh??

What amazes me is that it is usually the SPOUSE who says there is a mid life crisis. The only thing I can figure out is that they believe it is an actual syndrome and therefore they shouldn't do anything about it. I just don't understand the logic behind their thinking. It makes no sense to me.

I just don't understand the logic behind their thinking. It makes no sense to me.

I gotta move to the mid-West. Evidently, the innocence and wonder that is associated with childhood extends until....how old did you actually say you were, Mel?

The Noo Yawk cynic knows that MLC is a bogeyman created to isolate or remove the actual blame from the perpetrator. It was not hubby that couldn't keep his zip zipped; it was the mid-life-crisis that overwhelmed him!

Modern humans do this all the time:

- Government is too BIG and EXPENSIVE, but I deserve my check every month!
- Americans eat the worst, unhealthiest, diet in the world! Now I'll have that 32-oz Porterhouse!
- I don't overuse hydrocarbons, ruining the Earth, they just get used! Now where did I park my Tundra?
- Thousands of morons did not fraudulently apply for mortgages that they were destined to default on, the evil financial institutions made them do it!

The cool thing about this discussion is that I'd have to project that at almost 61, I'm past "middle" age. It'll be a race between my demise and that of civilization, one that I can expect to barely "win"!

kilted, I'm 55 years old and have met so many adults who are younger than me - and ACT so much older!

I just finished a 5K and totally owned the age group below me. So I'm not too intested in defining myself according to my age.

I just don't consider that age is that important - ATTITUDE is.

Believe me, I understand this. What I don't understand is how anyone can fall for that nonsense!

What I don't understand is how anyone can fall for that nonsense!

People "fall" for this because in all cases it is more comforting to yield responsibility to that big bogeyman (Fr: la force majeure) than to be forced to address the idea of personal liability for the negative result. While "comforting", of course, the self-deception is absolutely self-defeating, on the macro scale, if not on the personal basis!

No one, it seems, can accept the idea of starting to correct the (universal) failures by (individual) remedies, one declined Porterhouse at a time!

And ruthless, rigorous third-parties (sound like anyone here? ) are roundly criticized for pointing out the contributions of thousands of flawed choices to the summary problems, and eventually are silenced, by acclimation or their own disgust. The remaining apologists can then continue espousing their nonsenses: MLC, "predatory" lenders, etc, etc, which, in their continued, unchallenged existence, become "common knowledge".

So agree. It is so much easier to believe propaganda than think independently. Very much along the lines of politically correct "nutrition." So much easier to believe cultural nonsense, one demonized egg at a time, than take the time to do some research.

If you pass away at 70, will you admit you were wrong?

Don't you know if you eat more than 1 egg a week your blood pressure will be so high you will most assuredly die immediately?

You should meet my mother in law. She's 55, and according to her so old that she's practically helpless due to her old age. I just have to shake my head.

Would it be okay to buy a motorcycle and blame it on a mid life crisis and be exempt from POJA?

I thought my heart was supposed to explode??