I’ve been buried in book-proposal purgatory. Here’s how the Introduction kicks off:
It doesn’t make much sense to go through life pretending that something that’s definitely going to happen to you isn’t going to happen to you unless you die. Yet that’s how most of us behave when it comes to getting older. “Hey, it beats the alternative,” we manage weakly. What does that old saw actually mean? The only thing worse than being old is being dead.
I used to feel that way too. “Old” to me meant sad and sick. Aging signaled an inexorable slide towards depression, dementia, and puffy white shoes. I didn’t want to think about it until I had to, and when it crossed my mind, I flipped the channel. I’m still worried about the shoes. But I’ve learned that pretty much everything else I thought I knew about the aging process was wrong. That staying in the dark serves powerful commercial and political interests that don’t serve mine. And that seeing clearly is healthier and happier, not to mention way more interesting. That’s why I’ve embarked on a crusade to overturn American culture’s dumb and destructive obsession with youth. I hope this book brings you to the same place and inspires you to join me.