I don't find your view and threatripper's view to be contradictory. Nobody is perfectly optimized in all categories all the time, so even as the maxima decays,

I don't find your view and threatripper's view to be contradictory. Nobody is perfectly optimized in all categories all the time, so even as the maxima decays, one can find areas to enjoy improving. Still, that does not negate the fact that the maxima is decreasing. Being aware of aging gives the activities an extra edge that being young does not give.