As I am approaching 60 in age, the number 60 intrigued me and without noticing I started wondering about this number and what it means. The question is why many people pause at age 60 and recalculate and reconsider. Why not at 50 or 70 ?
The number 60 has other connotations and meanings. In religion, Islam for example, if one makes a minor sin and want God's forgiveness he must distribute food to 60 needy people. The number can not be arbitrary, but why specifically 60?
There are 60 seconds in the minute and 60 minutes in the hour. The list goes on in Math and Science where the number 60 is different and distinguished. That is really not what concerns me as I approach the age of 60.
What really matters for me is that at age 60 one has consumed 70-75% of his life. I call this age, the stop-counting-up and start-counting-down age. This never means giving up on life. Not at all. I will enjoy it more. The counting down means something else.
To me, the counting up starts at age 6 and finishes at age 60. It is all the endeavors we do in life to be more successful and happier and reach our goals. The counting down is to realize you have done the bigger part of living and it is time to relax, look after your offsprings, if you have any.
Of course there are cultural difference as to how people behave and what is in their minds as they reach 60. Unlike in the West, in the East where families tend to be larger and a person who passed 60 may still have dependents, the priority is different.
I used to disagree with people getting married at young age, but now when I see some of my age group, I noticed those who married earlier and whom at age 60 had their youngest graduated from university, I realized the wisdom of getting married at an early age.
Hamad S Alomar
Riyadh
