Youth is wasted on the young - that's attributed to George Bernard Shaw. I find this to be no longer applicable to our current North American society.
Youth today is not what it used to be. From the 19th century to the end of the 20th century there has been a transformation in what is considered young within the lifespan of humans.
How long might a human live in the 18th or 19th century? By that I mean to natural old age and not a life span cut down by war, plagues, epidemics, and childbirth. Life expectancy is now defined by whether a person survived the first year, the fifth year and the tenth year.
You could expect to live to around 40 in 18th century England. For the elite it approached 50. Wikipedia says: "Only half of the people born in the early 19th century made it past their 50th birthday. In contrast, 97% of the people born in 21st century England and Wales can expect to live longer than 50 years."
How old was Shakespeare when he died? He was aged 52. Now 52 is an age that is still in its prime. our current definitions of youth embrace a substantial span - 15-30 (some places 35) years.
And informally in North America - we consider a person in their forties to be in their prime - and not past their 'best before' dates. We look young and behave young. We have ample opportunity/time to experience youth.
So while this sense of the peak period of human living has expanded significantly, the idea of youth including the early stages of social development remain part of the definition. By 34, one would expect to have a sense of a person's life choices in action. But then, don't we see numerous life choices now happening at all ages? That seems to be expanded, too.
So back to George Bernard Shaw and this quote - I wouldn't want to wear that as a legacy. He later is quoted as expounding further: “they’re brainless, and don’t know what they have; they squander every opportunity of being young, on being young.” Sounds more like a rant than a wise saying. It would be interesting to read the full text. There's a picture of him in Wikipedia from a younger time - 1911 - and he doesn't look that grumpy when he was young. When was he quoted? In February 1931 - the actual words:
“Youth,” he replied, “is the most beautiful thing in this world—and what a pity that it has to be wasted on children!”
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