The World Belongs To The Old?

The World Belongs To The Old?

The world belongs to the young?  Nope.  Franklin believed the world belonged to no one in the long term—but the old had the best shot.  Belongs is about power and control.  To people who have been there and know what to do about it.  The young have energy and optimism.  The old have pills and money. 

Franklin was 80 and had reached a crucial threshold–the world should (by now) be his!  Yes, he had prostate cancer, hopefully healed by pills and chemo.  Sure, he had blood pressure problems, treated by pills and walking (though arthritis made walking painful plus he ran out of breath after two blocks.)  Franklin knew the young had problems more severe yet they had decades to solve their problems–his time was limited and problems insoluble, all he had was hope. 

Their future was limitless, if occasionally bleak.  He had medical problems which could not be fixed, they had debt which could be repaid.  Well, maybe the world did belong to the young, but only their world.  Franklin was meaningful in his world.  The comparison was pointless.  The world belongs neither to the young nor old but to those who do not give up.