We Would Be Better Off Returning to Horse and Buggy Days
Hendrik Willem van Loon argues that slowing pace preserves energy and boosts mental power after age 55. He predicts the next twenty years will be very interesting, with continued work and achievement in science, arts, politics, and finance, while acknowledging limited personal ambition and reduced interest in world affairs.
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Hendrik Willem van Loon
Mr. van Loon
Hollywood
Coney Island
van Loon
Aging gracefully at fifty six, van Loon reflects
Historian H W van Loon, celebrating his fifty six birthday, argues that aging brings genuine pleasures. He rejects chasing youth, criticizes vain lovers of youth, and favors living in the present with contentment and the wisdom gained from experience.
Van Loon reflects aging wisdom and time’s healing power
In a candid talk, H W van Loon argues civilizations falter when politics and values are ceded to the wrong crowd. He says age brings calm, humor, and a shift from urgency to a smoother, safer life, preferring bicycles to cars and stressing family joy over status.
Van Loon critiques modern culture and romance
The speaker laments literacy gains and mass taste, urging a return to aristocratic discernment, craft, and restraint. He mocks Hollywood output, praises seventeenth century craftsmanship, and argues marriage should rest on practical dignity rather than romantic illusion. Van Loon is described as a journalist, war correspondent, lecturer, and teacher.
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van Loon
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