Tuesday, August 4, 2009

The Golden Age

Sounds like a biography on the Elizabethan era, or the Renaissance Era. What is the golden age? Is there a decade where we distinguish ourselves uniquely from the others? There is a golden age for Hollywood (1910-1960’s), comic books, radio, science fiction and video arcade games (1982-86). Was there a golden age for music, such as it yielded ‘golden hits’? Japan celebrates the Golden Week.

The term Golden Age originated from Greek mythology and legend, but can also be found in other ancient cultures. It refers either to the earliest, and most ideal age in the Greek range of Golden, Silver, Bronze, and Iron Ages, or to a time in the beginnings of humanity which was perceived as an ideal state, or utopia, when mankind was pure and immortal. A ‘Golden Age’ is known as a period of peace, harmony, stability, and prosperity. In literary works, the Golden Age usually ends with a devastating event, which brings about the Fall of Man. Phew!

Mature adults talk about this phrase when they reminisce about the ‘good old days’. Old, is interestingly, not out-dated. Classic Coke sold more than the New Coke ever did. Retro-fashion and retro-art reflect that. Some traditions are best kept – the same. At our workplace, we may hear of the axiom ‘If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.’

Sleep eight hours a day. Drink at least 8 glasses of water daily. Eat your vegetables. Pay your taxes. Be debt-free. Et cetera, et cetera! Sounds like a broken record?

Which period would you label as your Golden Age? Could it have been your childhood? What about your period of tertiary education? What about your current career? If next week could be your Golden Age, what would you do to engineer that?

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