7 Stages of Man

While looking through some old Auction purchases today for items to possibly put on eBay, I came across William Shakespeare's "As You Like It" where he writes about All the World being a Stage and discusses the 7-Stages of Man. He described the stages as: 1) The infant 2) The 'whining' school boy 3) The lover (or teenager) 4) The soldier 5) The 'justice' or the man 6) The 'age shifts' (becoming old) 7) The 'ends this strange eventful history' (dies). These stages have been depicted in many forms over the years from cartoons to cut glass windows. Here is one example.

The interesting thing is that the life expectancy has increased significantly since the time of Shakespeare and even more importantly, the 4th and 5th stages is where much of the extension has occurred. My Brother Don is a good example. He is 83 years old, plays golf nearly every day, continues to work occasionally as an Auctioneer, hasn't lost any of his height and could easily pass for someone in their early 60's. It was only a year ago that he sold his interest in a  very active Auctioning Business to his partner. Improved diets, medical care, safety features, exercise, lack of stress, etc. all, along with other factors have made this possible. Many of our generation are enjoying it but expect that coming generations may have to continue to work later in life like Don has done.  And, if they are like Don, they will enjoy it.