This year, Japan's Respect for the Aged Day public holiday fell on Sept. 19. Taiwan's Senior Citizens' Day -- also known as the Double Ninth Festival -- falls on Oct. 9. The older you get, the more sense such celebrations make. After all, the elderly are merely our future selves. People who have succeeded in aging gracefully -- or even disgracefully -- are worth celebrating.
It was inspiring to read recently in the Nikkei Asian Review about Fukutaro Fukui, the world's oldest salaryman, who continued to commute to work until retiring at the age of 101. It was also good to learn that, in a year when several rock stars have passed away, Mick Jagger, 73 years old, will soon become a father for the eighth time.
