Story Gordon

     That life progresses through distinctive periods is a common theme. Mine has traversed stages of thirteen years or so into this, the seventh. Two sources inform this view: Shakespeare and Eric Hoffer. In As You Like It, the Bard lists seven “ages”: Childhood, Schoolboy, Lover, Soldier, Justice, Retiree, Second Childishness  “Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.” Hoffer saw life evolving in stages of thirteen years. Combining these, then testing them against mine revealed a surprising correlation:

   S1: Childhood (0-13): A period of biological maturation.

   S2: Adolescence (13-26): Mental maturity. Growing up.

   S3: Individuation (26-39): Forming a self-identity.

   S4: Focusing (39-50): Narrowing my success pursuit.

   S5: Mastery (50-63): Participating as a specialist.

   S6: Elderhood (65-78): Retiring to personal pursuits.

   S7: Advocacy (78-on): Reaching a philosophical plateau.

     Those are mine. What are yours? Although I do not propose them as formulaic, the first three may align for most, albeit with various durations. This developmental sequence (biological, cognitive, self-realization) seems natural with what follows beyond stage three varying for each original. We are similar, not identical.

     For many of the successful a metamorphosis occurs near forty: Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress, Mother Teresa began her missionary work, Bill Gates formed the Gates Foundation and I moved from the surface of technology into its depths leading to stage five at fifty as an explainer of Internet technology through seminars before retiring into stage six as I set aside technology to pursue personal interests for which I had little time earlier.