Lessons from an Old Man in a Black Bathing Suit

"as if living to ninety were primarily the result of hard work or prayer..."

This week's New Yorker has a meditation on longevity by Michael Kinsley ’72, J.D. ’78. Kinsley wonders why society confers respect, and even bragging rights, on those who live to be very old, "as if living to ninety were primarily the result of hard work or prayer, rather than good genes and never getting run over by a truck." Read the piece—teasingly titled "Mine Is Longer Than Yours"—here.

Related topics

You might also like

A History of Harvard Magazine

Harvard’s independent alumni magazine—at 127 years old 

Parks and Rec Comedy Writer Aisha Muharrar Gets Serious about Grief

With Loved One, the Harvard grad and Lampoon veteran makes her debut as a novelist.

Most popular

The Life of a Harvard Spy

Richard Skeffington Welch’s illustrious—and clandestine—career in the CIA

Radcliffe Institute Announces 2020-2021 Fellows

During the pandemic, a virtual fellowship year looms.  

What Trump Means for John Roberts’s Legacy

Executive power is on the docket at the Supreme Court.

Explore More From Current Issue

Wolfram Schlenker wearing a suit sitting outdoors, smiling, with trees and a building in the background.

Harvard Economist Wolfram Schlenker Is Tackling Climate Change

How extreme heat affects our land—and our food supply 

A woman (Julia Child) struggles to carry a tall stack of books while approaching a building.

Highlights from Harvard’s Past

The rise of Cambridge cyclists, a lettuce boycott, and Julia Child’s cookbooks

Students in purple jackets seated on chairs, facing away in a grassy area.

A New Prescription for Youth Mental Health

Kenyan entrepreneur Tom Osborn ’20 reimagines care for a global crisis.