If dictionary.com is to be believed, potential energy is defined as “the energy possessed by a body by virtue of its position relative to others, stresses within itself, electric charge, and other factors.” Often the potential energy of any given object exists as a constant regardless of when that energy is activated–if at all. In other words, a rock has the same amount of potential energy now as it did last week, so long as the mitigating factors affecting that rock’s remain constant.
This is a long winded and faux scientific way of saying that I’m bummed that the general perception around human potential is tied to age. I, as a sixteen year old smart ass, had tons of potential to be, well, anything. My potential peaked at 18 when I had so many college options, I was in pretty good shape and could run fast and, perhaps most importantly, wasn’t tied to any idea or path or choice.
Perhaps thats what folks mean when they link age with potential. Life often feels like the narrowing of options until you are left panting on a hospital bed wondering how many more breaths you might be blessed with. It feels like when you are younger there are infinitely more breaths. This too is a form of potential–the opportunity to fail or to try many things before you know what you want to do.
Still, as a man who recently crested forty yet hasn’t crested the top of his game as a writer, thinker, teacher, father, etc. I don’t really believe that age has much at all to do with potential. It has a lot more to do with having enough time to use the potential you have.