The existence of the theoretical stages of human existence known as the ‘Ages of Man’ can be traced back as far as the Greek poet Hesiod who lived during the latter half of the eighth century BC. In his 800-verse poem Works and Days which is believed to have been written around 700 BC, Hesiod refers to the five Ages of Man as being the Golden Age, the Silver Age, the Bronze Age, the Heroic Age and the Iron Age.

Much later, around 8 AD, the Roman poet Ovid refers to the Four Ages of Man in Book 1 of his 15-book narrative poem The Metamorphoses, in which he describes the creation and history of the world, omitting Hesiod’s Heroic Age.

References to these theoretical Ages of Man (be they four or five) have continued to appear throughout history in the literature of different cultures from Judeo-Christian through to Mesoamerican and Hindu-Vedic. Today though, certainly in the West, it is widely considered that there are four of these very different theoretical stages in a person’s life which we know as the ‘Ages of Man’.

The First Age
The first age can broadly be summarised as Education. Some would call it childhood but for a great many people education continues past childhood and into young adulthood so Education would seem more appropriate.

Whichever, it is that period of time from birth to the point when we finally leave the protective umbrella of full-time education to embark on our individual career paths. Put another way, it is that period in our lives when we learn by our own mistakes but have the comfort of knowing that we have parents and teachers to point us in the right direction when we inevitably stray from the straight and narrow.

The Second Age
The second age can broadly be categorised as Employment. It is that period when we endeavour to put to good use all that we have learned during our education or First Age and whether knowingly or otherwise, endeavour to prepare ourselves as best we can for the later stages of our lives, our Third and Fourth Age.

It is a time in our lives when we are considered to both at the peak of our working abilities and the height of our earning capabilities. But at the same time most of those resources and much of our energy is being invested in the next generation, our children, as we endeavour to guide them through their own First Age and beyond.

The Third Age
The third age of our lives is traditionally considered Retirement. It is that period when, having learned as much as we can during our First Age and having earned as much as we can during our Second Age, we endeavour to enjoy the fruits of our labours at the same time as preparing ourselves as best we can for that final and Fourth Age. This in many ways should be our Golden Age, a time when possibly for the first time in our lives we are truly free. Unchained from the restrictions put upon us by parents and educators, and free of the constraints placed upon us by bringing up the next generation.

The Fourth Age
The fourth age of our lives could be considered Dotage or Dependency. It is that time in our lives when whatever hasn’t already failed or at least started to fail, inevitably begins to decline at an increasing rate. It is an age when we trust that the assets we have been able to accrue, and the investment we have made in our children during our Second Age will see us comfortably through to the final and inevitable conclusion to our lives.

Those then are the four modern Ages of Man. But while traditionally in the West that Third Age or Retirement began in our early to mid sixties and generally lasted only a few or more years, for many people today that period not only begins earlier but also lasts considerably longer. Whether by dint of astute financial planning or as a result of the current economic situation which forces people into retirement earlier in their lives than they might otherwise have planned, for many today the Third Age comes anywhere from about the age of 45 onwards.

The good news is that just as many of us are living longer, we are also remaining fit and active for longer giving us options never afforded to previous generations. It means that, subject to financial considerations, we have more time to enjoy our middle years (our Third Age) and the fruits of our investment and labour during our Second Age. And for those who – whether out of necessity or desire – wish or need to extend their working lives, that too remains an option not afforded our parents and grandparents so long as work can be found for us to do.

What you as an individual choose to do with those extra active years afforded you is up to you and your financial circumstances. If you are able and want to enjoy your Third Age and take the opportunity to do all those things you’ve always dreamed of, the possibilities have never been greater and the opportunities never more readily available. If however you want or need to work, then those opportunities and possibilities too have never been greater or more readily available. You just need the vision to recognise them, the courage to grasp them and the wisdom to develop them.

Or to put it another way, you have to accept that the world as we knew it has changed forever, recognise the possibilities the new world has presented you, and the take advantage of the wisdom your Third Age has provided you.

Whichever you choose, we hope you will be inspired by your visit to ThirdAge.co.uk and the many possibilities contained within its pages. And we sincerely hope that you will truly come to consider your Third Age your Golden Age!

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