We entangle ourselves in business, immerge ourselves in luxury, and rove through the labyrinths of inconstancy till the darkness of old age begins to invade us, and disease and anxiety obstruct our way.
IMAGINE you were heavily in debt, owned a large portfolio of equities and under-used property and were having trouble cutting your spending—much like most Western governments.
Three weeks later, the Senate heard another southern leader, Senator John C. Calhoun. For years, Calhoun was the voice of the South. He now was sixty-eight years old and a sick man. He would die within a month.
It is a far cry from most of the second half of last year, when Europe's leaders did as much as they could to avoid being caught in a photograph with Mr Monti's scandal-tainted predecessor, Silvio Berlusconi.
Young people often suffer from sub-optimum health or diseases because of high pressure and irregular work schedules, so it is essential that they take care of their health in their daily lives and reduce their risks, he said.
Years pass, but the rats don't get weaker, more susceptible to disease or wrinkly… at least not any more wrinkly… and they keep on making as many babies as ever.
To politicians around the world — especially in the debt-ridden West — they offer a blueprint of how to reform the public sector, making the state far more efficient and responsive.