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He is not literally terrified. Reading his post there is no actual terror there. He's impressed with them and how much they've learned, and appreciating the amo

He is not literally terrified. Reading his post there is no actual terror there. He's impressed with them and how much they've learned, and appreciating the amount of change and growth that happens over a lifetime.

badpun 2y ago
What about this: > Which makes me think: I have like 5 years of experience of real life. What kind of tricks under their belts do people in their 50s, 60s, 70s have? What kinds of crazy heuristics and meta-heuristics they’ve got in their minds, hearts, and muscles after decades of poking the world? I have no clue and this is what makes me really worried about them.
- AndrewDucker 2y ago
  Fair. I think I was taking that as hyperbole, but I could be wrong.
- denton-scratch 2y ago
  The jiu-jitsu of older people (not really counting 50s) is simply that they know what they can and can't achieve, because they've mostly done whatever they're going to do. Sure, some over-60s have great things before them; but that's unusual. So on the whole, older folk aren't struggling to prove themselves; and they pretty much know who they are. Also, they've taken the knocks: they've faced physical injury, the pain of rejection, and often the kinds of illnesses that young people rarely get. They carry the scars and bruises. Perhaps what scares the author isn't old people as such, but rather the experiences they've had that the author has yet to face.
- figassis 2y ago
  He’s not talking from a place of fear. He’s in awe after having just realized the gap might be wider than he thought, and that looking at his past interactions with old people, where they’re usually intentionally hiding this gap, he fears how he can never know when he’s being foolish while thinking he’s the smartest person in the room.
WesolyKubeczek 2y ago
Just wait when he discovers that lots of old people got where they are by just going with the flow.
- AndrewDucker 2y ago
  Oh yeah, I don't think he's right. I think he's extrapolated from him learning a lot in 5 years and assumed that everyone does that and that the curve keeps going.

badpun 2y ago

What about this: > Which makes me think: I have like 5 years of experience of real life. What kind of tricks under their belts do people in their 50s, 60s, 70s have? What kinds of crazy heuristics and meta-heuristics they’ve got in their minds, hearts, and muscles after decades of poking the world? I have no clue and this is what makes me really worried about them.

AndrewDucker 2y ago
Fair. I think I was taking that as hyperbole, but I could be wrong.
denton-scratch 2y ago
The jiu-jitsu of older people (not really counting 50s) is simply that they know what they can and can't achieve, because they've mostly done whatever they're going to do. Sure, some over-60s have great things before them; but that's unusual. So on the whole, older folk aren't struggling to prove themselves; and they pretty much know who they are. Also, they've taken the knocks: they've faced physical injury, the pain of rejection, and often the kinds of illnesses that young people rarely get. They carry the scars and bruises. Perhaps what scares the author isn't old people as such, but rather the experiences they've had that the author has yet to face.
figassis 2y ago
He’s not talking from a place of fear. He’s in awe after having just realized the gap might be wider than he thought, and that looking at his past interactions with old people, where they’re usually intentionally hiding this gap, he fears how he can never know when he’s being foolish while thinking he’s the smartest person in the room.

WesolyKubeczek 2y ago

Just wait when he discovers that lots of old people got where they are by just going with the flow.

AndrewDucker 2y ago
Oh yeah, I don't think he's right. I think he's extrapolated from him learning a lot in 5 years and assumed that everyone does that and that the curve keeps going.