What If I Were Twenty Again?

[stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

What If I Were Twenty Again? Thoughts on My 46th Birthday

Turning 46 triggers a question: would I go back to being twenty?

https://my-notes.dragas.net/2025/12/19/what-if-i-were-twenty-again-thoughts-on-my-46th-birthday/

#Birthday #MyNotes #Life #Reflections

[km@mastodon.babb.no]

@stefano Betteridge's law of headlines gave an immediate answer to that one! Happy birthday!

[stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@km exactly! 🙂 Thank you!

[82mhz@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@stefano
Happy birthday Stefano! Wish you a lovely day today :)

[enigmarotor@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@stefano This post is touching, and I can easily transpose all what I've read, with the 20yo past-me . It was a different time, when everything was yet to be built, and the pace of change in our lives was slow enough to be taken into account without causing too much worry. This is the part I miss the most : being allowed to slowly adapt to change. Nowadays, everything is so lightning-fast. I too wouldn’t want to be the 20yo me in the present time : I wouldn’t be able to keep the focus to important things and build myself properly. These are the words of a father observing his 15yo (and 10yo) and not understanding how he will succeed in building himself in the whole swarm of stimuli from information/entertainment/notification sources. Silence and boredom were foundations of who I become, this is not longer possible for the current generation. Gosh, I’m an old man already.

[stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@EnigmaRotor I agree.
There’s a lot of FOMO today. "Startup" culture is widespread and is creating instability, and I’m not talking only about the IT world.
We used to have some fixed points we could relate to. As you say, we could adapt (more) slowly. Today, I see young people who are afraid they won’t be able to keep up with the new "trend" and are scared of being left out.

It’s a strange world, and yes… maybe we’re just getting old 😉

[clickymcticker@hachyderm.io]

@stefano Happy birthday, Stefano.

I’m younger than you, but I feel the same way about turning back the clock. Sure, there are some things that I would enjoy, but plenty of that is just nostalgia. I like the life that I have now, and I know that I would make different choices (overall much better ones), so I wouldn’t want to risk losing this. I can live in a world without today’s technology, but I’m happy in the here and now.

Slightly different answer on simply turning the biological clock back to 20. Growing older is scary, and any more time on this planet is appreciated. I don’t *feel* much older than twenty yet, but I know my age will soon catch up with me.

Enjoy some pizza and coffee on this grand day; you’ve earned it.

[stefano@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@ClickyMcTicker thank you! Sure, being 46 with the body I ad at 20 wouldn't be that bad - but, to be honest, I don't feel 46 at all. I feel much, much younger.