Bob Dylan offered reflections on aging in a New York Times contribution marking Donald Trump’s 80th birthday. The 85-year-old musician did not comment on the president or politics. Several other octogenarians in the same piece offered direct advice to Trump.
Dylan wrote that the best aspect of reaching 80 is outliving the clocks that have been chasing you. He described gaining freedom from the illusion that anything was ever under control and noted that one becomes harder to program.
On the challenges, Dylan said the body eventually refuses what the heart still desires and that nothing surprises you anymore. He added that one runs out of illusions and eventually gains understanding too late to change the past.
Unlike Dylan, contributors Robert De Niro and Gloria Steinem addressed Trump directly. De Niro urged the president to seek and follow good advice, while Steinem advised him to resign.
The New York Times piece appeared on June 14, the date of Trump’s birthday.