Life is too damn short, I think! Lost in dreams very late one night, in the peaceful company of a beautiful August moon, I asked myself: 'Are times better now or were we happier in the good old days?'

In those days, childhood felt interminable. The anxieties of adolescence creaked by agonizingly slowly and our 20s were so stacked with effort and ecstasy as we strived to establish careers and love lives that each action-packed day felt like eternity! To my horror, I now realise that the years between going to college to being the father of two beautiful girls and holding them in my arms have whizzed by in the blink of an eye. Working hard, going from one job in the morning to another in the evening to earn some extra cash to make ends meet, we did our best to raise a family.

And what about today? Are times better now? Today's youngsters seem to have all they want – luxury cars, expensive mobiles, good jobs with better working conditions – and yet are they happier now? They have what they need. They have never had it so good. So why all this constant stress? Why are they so anxious and depressed? Don't they realise that anxiety and depression are two troublesome signs which have been linked to the development of forms of dementia such as Alzheimer's?

In the good old days, yes, we had to make some sacrifices. There were lots of things that we yearned to buy, but we had to make a choice. As time went by, we started to realise that there are quite a few things money can't buy. The only things that really matter in life are health, happiness and the time to explore some fascinating sights in the world!

Just as I got tired of comparing then with now, another compelling question loomed: "Who was that deluded fool who penned the words 'we have all the time in the world'?"

 

Jos Edmond Zarb

Birkirkara