What exactly are people in their 40s and 50s supposed to be saving themselves for? Spend the next 20 or 30 years being told: don’t smoke, don’t drink, don’t eat this, don’t eat that, don’t take risks, don’t enjoy yourself too much — just keep preserving yourself for later. Later for what? So you can reach your 80s or 90s, lose your independence, end up in a care home and have absolutely no control over who is looking after you or how you’re treated? We have just seen horrific cases of elderly and disabled people being robbed, assaulted and abused by people who were supposed to be caring for them. That’s what gets me. Nobody is guaranteed some beautiful, peaceful old age simply because they spent 30 years behaving perfectly. So enjoy your fucking life. Eat the meal. Have the pint. Smoke if that is your choice. Travel. Laugh. Fuck. Love people. Spend the money occasionally. Make memories. Don’t deliberately wreck yourself — but don’t spend your entire life afraid of living just so you might gain a few extra years at the very end. Because none of us knows what those final years are going to look like anyway. I would rather arrive at old age knowing I actually lived than arrive there having spent my whole life merely trying not to die. And society needs to make damn sure that when people do become old, frail or dependent, the people entrusted with their care are properly vetted, properly supervised and held properly accountable when they abuse that trust.