Why I failed statistics in high school

I could not get my head around ∑ √µȠ and standard deviations in high school. I could relate to maths being about having one right answer to one plus one – but maths with no right answers and lots of numbers did not make sense.

It has taken me over 60 years to realise that life is all about numbers.

• To wait in a line, I need to take a number;
• To make my plastic card materialise money, I need a PIN number;
• To get a bank loan, I need all my financial numbers;
• If I want to communicate with someone, I need to punch some numbers on the phone;
• To be better than you, I just need better numbers;
• The whole internet thing and everything digital are made up of only two numbers;
• And when I die, I will be just a number on a death certificate.

The reason I failed statistics in high school was because I had no idea what life was about.

Old males have better mating opportunities

I was really shy in my youth. Put me in a dance hall and I would be the only person on the bench whilst everyone else were on the dance floor.

If you were to put me in a dance hall today with 99 other people who represented the Australian population over 30 years old, where would I be?

Well, I would still be the last male on the bench.

Not because I am shy.

…It is because I have learnt my statistics.

If every one paired off the old fashioned way (male plus female), I will still be the last male on the bench.

…But there will be 10 unmatched females also on the bench with me.

Even though it is a variation of the “A young bull and an old bull are at the top of a hill…” joke, the ‘Statistical Jack’ suddenly has far better odds.

… And I learnt this just by looking at the abs statistics…

The 65 year old question

I can’t wait until I get to 65. I am so excited to get a 40% discount on my racing licence after I get to 65.

If a person gets to 65, they reach a milestone in the way they become treated by the Australian government. Getting to 65 means entry into the chart….

The question then becomes: “What does society expect a 65 year plus person to do?”

Filling the VOID

People don’t fall into a black hole when they turn 65.

But there are some holes that need filling as they jump into the 16 % band of the population.

I have been keenly interested in the lives of this 16% – purely because I am going to be joining them in a couple of years.

Change is the dominant feature for the 16%. There are two categories of change – voluntary and involuntary. Both involves experiencing a void and finding ways to fill it up again.

…And here are my 3 void-filling strategies.

1. Shrinkage – Shrink the life. Live to the limiting resources
2. Replace – Replace the old life activities with new ones
3. Rinse and repeat – Wash out the old life and bring clarity to the new one.

I have two more years to figure out which one I will choose.