A Man at Forty, Unaffected and Unpretentious

Tony Chan
4 min readJun 11, 2024
Photo by Mor Shani on Unsplash

In the past, a man at forty-one was like a bouquet of flowers. He had some money, and wasn’t too old. While he still had energy, he lived a colorful life.

Now, many men at middle age have become unambitious and unpretentious. Because of the pressure of life, they’ve gotten used to being dull, tasteless, and monotonous. Sometimes, too much excitement can be overwhelming.

In their youth, who didn’t yearn for love, but never encountered their ideal partner? At middle age, they’ve gotten used to being single.

“Old Lady Wang” introduced a potential partner, and they met in a park. Both were already realistic, in their forties.

Car, house, job, income… Life began simply, and ended in disappointment.

Looking back, being single wasn’t so bad.

Photo by Jordan Steranka on Unsplash

They’ve become middle-aged people in the eyes of young people, no longer youthful, stubborn or smooth-talking, but old-fashioned. Who didn’t have their youthful days, and who didn’t make mistakes in their youth?

The price is growing old. Middle age is the most anxious stage of life.

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Tony Chan

Tony Chan, a minimalism writer focus on psychology, sociology, family relationships, and interpersonal interactions.