At the Age of 50

 

At the Age of 50

At the age of 50 one is neither young nor old.     

At the age of 50 physiological, psychological and even philosophical changes start taking place which a person is not oblivious of.

These changes quite often are different for men and women partially because of physical, social and economic conditions.

Men at 50 in most cases are done with their career unless they are in business where they may be at the peak of their performance. Men become careless with their health and fitness. Unfortunately, the damage is done to the health of men mostly in their 50s but gets noticed in early sixties.

Women in 50s are more stable in terms of maturity. Their health conditions are also affected quite often due to menopause but generally not as much as is the case with men. In terms of career women are more cool as compared to men.

One may observe, at least in India, woman gets stronger and stronger from the age of 50 whereas man generally gets weaker and weaker in 50s 60s and 70s. Lady is in the ascendent and man on decline. Lady is in control of house, home, children, family and social context. Man, willingly or unwillingly, mostly automatically, gives control and command to the lady of the house.

Career wise it is late in the day to take mid life retirement, as social responsibilities and economic burden increases. It is also difficult to make career changes at that age unless a person is in the category of CXO.

At the age of 50 or in 50s, especially early 50s one should rejig, reinvent and reorient one’s life and priorities. Many office goers soon after their retirement die of heart attack due to depression and sense of emptiness as they did not plan their post retirement activities when they were in 50s - busy in their daily routine. Men, in employment, should discover and rediscover their interests and hobbies and start working on them. Men in business, if not consider passing on the baton, may like to give major chunk of decision making to next gen. Women tend to think and work inwardly, paying more attention to family matters as that is the time to become grandmother. Women in career may think and work laterally in exploring opportunities where their interest, experience and knowledge and skills are served.

To sum up, one needs to be careful at this age with regard to one’s health, priorities and interests by applying oneself in good time.

Vinay K Nangia

vinaynangia.com