The document discusses how the concept of retirement age and what defines "old" have changed over time as lifespans have increased. It notes that the traditional retirement age of 65 was set over 100 years ago when average lifespans were much shorter, but people now often live 20-30 years past retirement age. As a result, many view the marker of being considered "old" as being between 75-80 years old rather than 65. The active lifestyles of celebrities in their 60s and 70s in Paris are presented as examples of how seniors may live in the future.

1. The
New
Retirement
Story
in
Paris
(6A)
By
Peter
de
Kuster
Sixty
–
Five
is
Old
.
In
the
Cafe
Flore
Old
ain’t
what
it
used
to
be!
Remember
when
the
age
for
retirement
was
set:
most
people
didn’t
even
live
until
retirement
age.
Now
we
live
20
to
30
years
past
the
retirement
age.
The
age
of
65
in
this
day
and
age
has
little
resemblance
to
the
age
of
65
in
for
example
1970.
The
behavior
of
men
in
their
sixties
or
seventies
in
Paris
of
today
like
Charles
Aznavour,
Julien
Clerc,
Alain
Delon
may
well
serve
as
portents
of
the
active
lifestyles
in
seniors
of
the
future.
It
is
ironic
that
our
society,
rather
than
adjusting
to
this
longevity
trend,
continues
to
promote
a
retirement
age
that
was
established
over
100
years
ago
when
people
lived
to
the
ripe
old
age
of
46.
Even
more
ironic
is
that
many
have
convinced
themselves
to
take
up
early
retirement.
Many
of
these
people
have
failed
to
comprehend
that
if
they
retire
at
55,
for
example,
they
will
spend
as
many
years
in
their
retirement
as
they
did
in
their
entire
working
career.
This
is
great
if
you
have
some
invigorating
and
challenging
pursuits
before
you
in
those
30
years.
If
you
don’t,
history
shows
that
you’ll
never
see
those
30
extra
years.

2. How
old
will
you
be
when
you
really
become
old?
It
seems
that
the
answer
to
that
question
is
as
individual
as
the
person
answering
it.
We
know
that
the
marker
for
old
is
no
longer
65.
Some
recent
survey
shows
that
most
seniors
now
feel
that
the
marker
for
old
is
somewhere
between
75
and
80.
Expect
that
number
to
keep
moving
up
with
the
babyboomer
generation.
In
Paris
you
will
meet
heroes
and
heroines
of
all
times
who
have
not
bought
into
the
idea
that
they
need
to
move
aside
for
the
next
generation
–
or
anyone
else
for
that
matter.
They
will
leave
the
race
when
they
are
good
and
ready!!