Category: Archive


  • Confronting Status Anxiety at Midlife

    Introduction Status anxiety is that quiet, persistent hum in the background of our lives. Itโ€™s the fear that we arenโ€™t measuring up, that weโ€™re falling behind, or that others see us as failures because we donโ€™t have the right job, car, house, or lifestyle. Itโ€™s disguised coercion because the drawing of invidious comparisons doesnโ€™t feel…

  • The ‘Vette Won’t Stop the Fret

    IntroductionPerspective: Confronting the InevitableMaking Contact with RealityGrieving Past IdentitiesAging Is AsymmetricalEmpirical Evidence: What the Research ShowsThe Practical AdvantageConclusion & Key Takeaways Introduction We should approach this subject by distinguishing between the fear of aging and the fear of irreversibility. Aging is a visible phenomenon, but for many older adults, a deeper, underlying anxiety exists: The…

  • Staying Relevant In An Increasingly Irrelevant World

    IntroductionFear of Irrelevance as Status ThreatResponding Without PanicFrom Relevance to IntegrationSelf-Transcendence via IkigaiConclusion & Key Takeaways Introduction When the amygdala interprets a shift in social value as a threat to survival, panic often emerges. Many adultsโ€”Gen X and olderโ€”have experienced it at some point in their lives: They wake up one day only to find…

  • Guilt Holds Its Sermons In Silence

    Introduction Guilt is the uncomfortable certainty that we are not all that we could have been. This means the time that passes belongs to death. Adults over age 45 should be aware of this, because hereโ€™s another fact: Guilt holds its sermons in silence, in the brooding, morose miasma of rumination. This suggests that the…

  • On the Surge in Anti-AI Sentiment

    IntroductionAI & PolarizationWhat Is AI? A Toolโ€ฆ Right?AI & MeThe Perspectival ArgumentAI & the Literary CommunityDangerous Ground & Legit ConcernsMetathesiophobia & Existential Fear of ChangeAn Extension of Human IntelligenceConclusion & Key TakeawaysAdditional Reading Introduction This is not about dismissing criticism of AI-generated writing wholesale; itโ€™s an argument against overgeneralization. It all started after I read…