Post 1 – The Demon of Mid-day
Midlife. Welcome!
Turning 40 was not too difficult for me to accept. I didn’t feel old and I didn’t look old, so it wasn’t a problem. I think I was more panic-stricken when I turned 25, which in retrospect makes no sense at all! How could anyone feel old at age 25? All I remember is someone saying: “You’re now one quarter of a century years old!” That sounded so old! Within the first few years after turning 40, the fact that I was in my forties quickly became daunting, mainly due to life circumstances. At that point, I began to reflect on happiness and my life as a whole.
Whatever reasons we may have to look back on life, many of us seem to do it once we’ve reached midlife.
Why?
Midlife is the central point of a person’s life, spanning from age 40 to 60. Many people feel restless as they struggle with aging, their sense of purpose in life, and of course mortality. The sudden surge of discontentment and dissatisfaction is termed a midlife crisis. In French it is termed le démon de midi, which translates to the demon of mid-day.
If you were to fit an entire lifespan into one day, mid-life would occur at mid-day. A demon is referenced because it’s the period of life when a person is most likely to commit a sin of the flesh. In non-biblical terms, it’s the time when marital infidelity is most likely to strike.
The term midlife crisis was originated by Elliott Jacques, a Canadian psychologist in the early 1960’s. He was studying the creative habits of 310 famous artists such as Mozart, Raphael and Gaugin when he noticed a common trait. When the artists entered mid-life, their creative output waned. 1 Many became extremely depressed.
He then observed the same pattern among his own clients. As they approached middle age, many of them suddenly panicked. They had become aware that their lives were finite, fearing that they might not have enough time left to achieve their goals.
U-curve of happiness
Linked to the midlife crisis is the Happiness curve or U-curve of happiness. The idea is that happiness follows a U-shaped curve as people age. 2
Based on studies, happiness is high among the young. It slumps to a minimum around middle age, then rises again into the sixties and seventies. According to statistics, the happiest time of our lives is when we are old and grey. 3
Hey! That’s the same graph found in the title of this blog! Cool! 😉
For some people, perplexed feelings at midlife can happen naturally. For others, it can result from a dramatic life event of significant change, such as divorce or death of a parent.
The incidents that forced me to examine my life were dramatic to say the least. Please have a look at my “About” page, where I give an overview of the topics I will cover in this blog.
Midlife seems like such an ugly word – a word synonymous with panic, regret and every other negative emotion.
With much reflection, awareness and acceptance, we can learn to embrace every stage of life, including our demon of mid-day.