“What does it feel like to be old?” said the boy.
“It feels stiff like,” said the Philosopher.
“Is that all?” said the boy.
“I don’t know,” the Philosopher replied after a few moments’ silence. “Can you tell me what it looks like to be young?”
“Why not?” said the boy, and then a slight look of perplexity crossed his face, and he continued, “I don’t think I can.”
“Young people,” said the Philosopher, “do not know what age is, and old people forget what youth was. When you begin to grow old always think deeply of your youth, for an old man without memories is a wasted life, and nothing is worth remembering but our childhood. I will tell you some of the differences between being old and young, and then you can ask me questions, and so we will get at both sides of the matter. First, an old man gets tired quicker than a boy.”
The boy thought for a moment, and then replied:
“That is not a great difference, for a boy does get very tired.”
The Philosopher continued:
“An old man does not want to eat as often as a boy.”