Acclaimed and beloved prize-winning essayist Roger Rosenblatt has commented on most of the trends and events of our time. His columns in Time magazine and his commentaries on PBS's NewsHour with Jim Lehrer have made him a household word and a trusted friend of millions. Now, at the dawn of a new millennium, Rosenblatt offers the American people a survival manual-fifty-four gems of funny, brilliant, wise, indispensable advice. It doesn't matter: Whatever you think matters-doesn't. Follow this rule, and it will add decades to your life. It does not matter if you are late, or early; if you are having a bad hair day, or a no hair day; if your boss looks at you cockeyed, or if you are cockeyed; if you don't get that promotion, or if you do. It doesn't matter. Nobody is thinking about you: Yes, I know, you are certain that your friends are becoming your enemies; that your grocer, garbageman, clergyman, sister-in-law, and your dog are all of the opinion that you have put on weight. You are also sure that everyone spends two-thirds of every day commenting on your moral disintegration, denigrating your work, plotting your murder. I promise you: Nobody is thinking about you. They are thinking about themselves-just like you. A book to savor, a book to keep, and a book for all ages.
What? A how-to-make-your-life-better-book with more than the ubiquitous seven ways of doing so? In
Rules for Aging: Resist Normal Impulses, Live Longer, Attain Perfection, acclaimed essayist and
NewsHour with Jim Lehrer regular contributor Roger Rosenblatt boldly offers up a whopping 56 rules for wisely navigating life into your golden years.
Rosenblatt describes the short book (only 140 pages), which began with a column he wrote for Modern Maturity, as a "little guide intended for people who wish to age successfully, or at all." He adds that "growing older is as much an art as it is a science, and it requires fewer things to do than not to do."
Ranging from the fatalistic (rule 1: "It doesn't matter") to the highly practical (rule 26: "Never go to a cocktail party and, in any case, do not stay more than 20 minutes"), rule 2 best illustrates the tone for much of what follows ("Nobody is thinking about you"):
Yes, I know, you are certain that your friends are becoming your enemies; that your grocer, garbage man, clergyman, sister-in-law, and your dog are all of the opinion that you have put on weight, that you have lost your touch, that you have lost your mind; furthermore, you are convinced that everyone spends two-thirds of every day commenting on your disintegration, denigrating your work, plotting your assassination. I promise you: Nobody is thinking about you. They are thinking about themselves--just like you.
Other notables include "Let bad enough alone" (rule 3), "Stay clear of anyone--other than a clergyman--who refers to God more than once in an hour" (rule 8), "Do not attempt to improve anyone, especially when you know it will help" (rule 29), "The unexamined life lasts longer" (rule 40), "Change no more than one-eighth of your life at a time" (rule 48), and "The game is played away from the ball" (rule 55). Nowhere will you find talk of antioxidants or exercise or anything resembling a detox program. Rosenblatt is no health nut, and there is already plenty of material available on that. What you will encounter instead is a gifted writer clearly enjoying his craft, making this slim volume a welcome poke at and departure from the more predictable antiaging fare. --Patrick Jennings
