Age Is Just A Number Series

A Harvard psychologist and his team examined 1,000 doctors between the ages 30-80. In one test the subjects were seated in front of computers and asked to read stories crammed with details, such as street addresses. A few minutes later they took a multiple-choice test. On the average, people in their 80s could remember only half as much as those who were in the 30s.

The consensus is that neurons age at the rate of 100,000 a day. By the time someone reaches 65 0r 70, he may have lost 20% of his 100 billion. Still experts say that 80 billion remaining neurons are a lot! The neurons send signals to neighboring neurons (Fortune 4/17/95 “Memory”).

The good news is that (USA Today, 8/22/02) research by University of Arizona psychologist David Almeida indicated that men and women over 60 enjoy a sharp drop in daily hassles after they’re 60. Older adults cope better with stress, not allowing it to sour their mood or provoke physical symptoms.

At 85, Caleb did not ask for a favor, apply for a handout or depend on his relatives. His head was clear as day, his body fit as a fiddle and his vision was sharp as a knife. He did not miss or skip a beat. His words were not blurred, his vigor was not dimmed and his memory was not dulled, sluggish or lost. A blunted mind might get lost following his speech. He was logical, profound and astute. The words he emphasized in Hebrew ranged from numbers 40 (v 7) to 45 and 85 (v 10); from personal pronouns “I” to “you”: “I followed the Lord” (v 8) to “you have followed the Lord (v9)”; from tenses “then” to “now”: Caleb said, “So on ‘that day’ Moses swore to me” (v 9)… so here I am ‘today,’ eighty-five years old! and I am still as strong ‘today’ as the day Moses sent me out (v 11)…Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day (v 12). You yourself heard ‘then’ (or Hebrew, in that day).”

The never-say-die Caleb even asked for the toughest task. He was strong as an ox, as fit as or even fitter than any young man and as strong as he was at 40. He refused to act his age, ride into the sunset or dwell in the past. 45 years ago, the ten spies glorified the enemies, “They are ‘stronger’ than we are” (Num 13:31). Now the ageless wonder took those same words and said, “I am still as ‘strong’ today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then” (v 11).

Caleb asked for Hebron, Israel’s most precious and nostalgic real estate, the place where Abraham had built an altar to the Lord (Gen 13:18), buried his beloved Sarah (Gen 23:2, 19) and sojourned with his son Isaac (Gen 35:27), who was also buried in Hebron (Gen 35:29). One more thing about Caleb the Kennizite that may shock you: he was a Gentile. His tribal roots were traced to Esau, not Isaac. Kenaz was the grandson of Esau (Gen 36:10-11). The Edomites, descendants of Esau, was one of Israel’s most hated enemies. Caleb the alien resident knew Hebron was symbolical to the Israelites, priceless to his descendants and hard to take over. The sons of Anak who terrified both generations were still there. Although Joshua had cut off the Anakims from the mountains and destroyed the cities previously (Josh 11:21), the job was undone. Caleb had to finish the job, driving out the three pesky sons of Anak (Josh 15:13-14) and doing what the ten spies said was impossible. From then on Caleb occupied the fields of the city, and the villages of Hebron (Josh 21:11-12), sinking down his foreign roots and cementing his legacy in Israel. The Chinese have a saying for this spirit, “Trekking the mountains knowing tigers are there.” Joshua wasn’t going to stand still, stay put, turn around or back down.