Bill Bonner has a newsletter than Aunty subscribes to.  He owns Agora Publishing – a very affiliate based newsletter business – sometimes there is overkill in how many links that we are introduced to, but his insights are usually spot on and sage, so Aunty pays attention.

His Bill Bonner’s Diary post today started off with:

POITOU, FRANCE – “My father told me to plant trees,” said a neighbor last night.

“It was right after I bought this place. Of course, I was young… I was busy… I didn’t have time to plant trees.

“Now, I tell my sons to plant trees while they’re still young. So they can enjoy them later.

“Funny, as you get older, and the less future you have available, the better you know it.”

It went on to talk about the trillions of dollars of government debt (all the QE – quantative easing money that the Federal Reserve started printing beginning with President Bush and beyond) and how the younger generation will have to pay it eventually.  Or, there will be a collapse in the system.

Too heavy for Aunty.  For, what can the average person do?  The ostrich head in the sand shows up.

He then went on to talk about buying with debt – borrowing and using income to pay off the debt later IF all goes well.

Which brings to mind those trees that should have been planted when we were young.  Didn’t our parents tell us to save our money?  To eat healthy, cover up from the sun, exercise, work hard?

And what did Aunty do?

Spend like crazy, borrow constantly and use credit cards to their max.  Eat deliciously wonderful junk foods, go out in the sun without hat or sunscreen, sit and squander time.

Aunty has had to pay the price for not listening when she was younger.

Aunty emailed Bill Bonner, “Youth is wasted on the young, and wisdom is wasted on the old.”

However it is never too late to make changes in our lives, no matter how old or young we are, right?

Post note:  Aunty just finished listening to Deepak Chopra’s  “The New Physics of Healing” CD, borrowed from our local library.  Most of it was WAY above Aunty’s understanding – quantum this and fundamental that.

However, what was fascinating was how influential the collective belief of our communities and culture view old people.  For the most of us, getting old is an undesirable downhill slide into physical and mental deterioration.  In a few specific societies where getting old is something to look forward to, with the collective belief that oldsters are more functional, with bigger roles affording more respect and admiration, there is no physical or mental deterioration, but vibrant lives well into their 100s.

Perhaps, that is why, when we are with others who look good and enjoy life, we are ageless.  When we live each day without worrying about what doesn’t matter, we still have time to plant trees.