We change as we age. Like a fine wine we mellow, become fuller of body and readily laid down. This is the privilege of longevity bestowed only recently on humanity.

Our ancestor’s time was consumed by finding enough food and water. Life was tough and short. Very few made it to dotage or had the luxury of getting there via retirement. Dither and the tribe left you behind in the snow.

Even after the invention of agriculture and much later the steam engine, life was tough. Starvation, water born disease, conflict and the sheer grind of everyday living cut many down early.

Life expectancy in 1900’s Europe was just 31 years.

Today things are very different. Now almost everyone has long enough to mature. Most of us will have time to contemplate after all the rushing, getting ahead, and procreating is over.

But it is a scary time. Many end up in crisis or at the wheel of a red sports car.

Slowing down is most uncomfortable when we are used to speed; presumably this explains the red sports car.

So here is my suggestion.

There should be slowing down classes.

A compulsory online course that people take at some time in their 40’s that teaches the theory and suggests skills practice for distressing your life. This could be combined with free yoga and meditation sessions or, for the less trendy, walks in the countryside.

This would be the human equivalent of laying the wine down so that by the time we reached our vintage we would be worth drinking.

What do you think?