James Dean

James Dean was an icon to millions with his good looks and bad boy image. The motto of “Live fast, die young” attributed to him was certainly when he died in 1955 at the tender age of 24. This motto has always held a sort of attraction for me. Like I have never wanted to be fat I have also never wanted to be old.

I have no-way lived anything close to the devil attitude of Dean but I have done many things in my life that may have resulted in many years being knocked off it. I am now coming up to my 30th birthday and far from it filling me with dread (as I thought it would) I am quite looking forward to it. I feel it will be a new lease of life for me. I will be almost qualified as a nurse and have a whole new chapter in-front of me to live. However, do I still want to get old ?

The population in this country is getting older. People are now living well into their 70s and in many cases their 80s and 90s. But do they have a standard of life that I would want ? Many elderly people that I have come across may have lived much longer than the Biblical “three score years and ten” but have found much of their life past 70 not how they would wish it. Many are debilitated by cardiac, respiratory, and skeletal problems that prevent them from living an independent and fulfilling old age. Do I want this ? I think not. Whilst getting old does not fill me with as much fear as it once did I want to be able to enjoy it and not be confined to my house or a nursing home.

Therefore, I feel motto (in homage to Mr Dean) will be:

“ Live long, die fast”