Life in Thirds

In the shower the other day (where almost all big ideas happen - don't ask me why), I thought about human life (at least in the West) in 3 segments.  Maybe it was the occasion of my wife turning 60 this year and my son turning 30 next year.  Whatever the reason I puzzled over what the main purpose was of these 30-year cohorts of time, assuming one lives until 90.

The first 30 years seem to be best described as a period of FORMATION.  You are learning, growing, forming personality and character, settling on a career direction, choosing values and beliefs.  You are becoming who you will be as an adult.

The next 30 years seem to be best described as a period of GENERATION.  Between 30 and 60 most people are out there doing and being what they were formed into in their first 30 years.  They are producing, creating, earning, interacting with others, building relationships, having babies in some cases, and so on.  They are using what they were formed to be in order to generate spouses, heirs, friendships, wealth, service, etc.

Well, if these are true, what then are the last 30 years to be, the years from 60 to 90 (or death, if it comes sooner)?  That, maybe, was the real question I was noodling over.  What should this last third of my life be about?  The conclusion I came to was this:

The last 30 years seem to be best described as a period of DISTRIBUTION.  After age 60 you begin to distribute what you have learned and produced to others who will succeed you, who will come up behind you.  You dispense wisdom you've accumulated, you offer advice based on years of life experience, you arrange to leave your assets to your heirs, you define what your legacy will be, what people will remember you for (at least for 4 generations; see this post for details).

This thought process was helpful, I think.  It reminds me that I have really passed the age of accumulation, and I need to think about what I will be leaving behind.  I suppose it's called "getting your house in order"; but it's also called "leaving a legacy".  I was formed into who I am today a long time ago.  I have only a few years left to generate wealth or accumulate useful life experience.  Soon I will be faced with sharing all that with others - to communicate, to share, to give, to leave it behind (hopefully in some meaningful and organized fashion).

FORMING, GENERATING, DISTRIBUTING.

I think that covers it.