Age is one of the things we can’t change.Plastic surgeries, diets and exercises can’t alter our date of birth however,it might make us feel a bit better about ourselves. Many of us individual usedifferent beauty products or any alternatives that would make us look younger.And it uplifts our confidence whenever we hear people after saying “youdon’t look your age”. On the other hand, the phrase “Life begins atforty” seems to be popular speciallyto those middle ages people. But who among us know where is that phraseoriginated or even understand what it really employs? According to Martin(2017), the notion that life begins at forty was originated in the 20thcentury; previously, ‘death begins at forty’ is more accurate because duringthat time, many people didn’t live beyond that age. Moreover, in medievalEngland, the life expectancy was about 25 years and it only attained 40 yearsaround the 20th century.
In 1932, a self-help book was published by an AmericanPsychologist namely Walter Pitkin. She stated confidently “Life begins at forty. This is the revolutionaryoutcome of our New Era. Today it is half a truth.
Tomorrow it will be anaxiom”. Pitkin is often regarded as the one who coined the term”Life begins at forty’ however, she is not the one who first to articulatethe idea or the phrase itself. But her book was the cause for it to become apopular language. It also appeared many times on different news papers andprinted records during the 1932 onwards. Various songs was also made which wasentitled after that phrase. One of them is written and sung by John Lennon inthe 1980 which is the year wherein John Lennon turned 40 years of age. Anotheris the one sung by Dave and the Dynamos in the year 1983 and it became numberone on the New Zealand chart.
Each of us have different views or perspectiveswith regards to giving emphasis on the phrase “life begins at forty”.There are people who believe that it is just a myth or product of person’screative mind. However, there are also who believe that it is actuallyhappening in reality.
