Youth and Aging

"One of the main reasons why older people get nostalgic about their youth is that, when they were young, they didn't know how things were going to turn out yet." Best. Line. Ever. How delightfully depressing and insulting. Self deprecating too I suppose. I love it. It really strikes a chord with me because of just how blunt and, although I'm not old yet and can't really comment, honest it is. Maybe it isn't the truth for everyone but I sometimes already sometimes feel that way and I know that it's true for some, and Mr. Yilmaz sure makes me feel like he means it.
Even though I still have enough potential left in front of me to not be hugely concerned by the potential I've lost behind me, this line, and in fact this whole video speaks to me. I am all at once excited and terrified of the future because I don't know what it will hold. I look forward to being old and thinking back on my youth, learning what will come, which new fantastical devices will reshape the world and how the world will look back on the time that was mine. On the other hand I could die tomorrow, I could fail all my classes, never achieve any of the things I'd like so desperately to achieve and die cold and alone. It's all very frightening and very important to each of us. I think that's the strength of this video. It doesn't exactly offer terribly new insight into the subject of youth and aging, nor does it answer any questions about it, it just cuts through the crap. Yilmaz doesn't sugar coat anything. He observes and comments and the fact that someone else is feeling the same thing(s) as we are is in itself uplifting. It means that when we die we'll feel a little less cold or alone. At least, that's how I feel.
Youth and Aging is actually the opposite of depressing to me, it's almost uplifting because even though I'm not closer to writing for the New Yorker, I know that a lot of people aren't getting everything they want to get done done. Knowing that, I can approach the situation with less panic, less fear, and deal with it like a normal problem and have a better chance of achieving what I wanted to. I'll also feel less terrible about myself if I don't achieve my goal because I'm in good company.
The slightly deadpan narration and enlivened animation add to this effect wonderfully. The whole thing is really well done, no wonder "Cut Up" picked it up. I highly recommend this one and all the "Tales of Mere Existence" lineup. They're all just as funny, honest, sad or strangely uplifting as this one and the style is unique and interesting.