Is it normal to not understand the appeal of old age?

It's not death.

I cast my vote for "not normal". Part of this is of course your genes. If your family lived to a ripe old age like mine. (100 plus) without losing their mind, so to speak, then why not. My Mom lived beyond 100 and her sister lived beyond 106. Had no loss in mind and were very sharp till the last day on earth.

Well, if you live a full life doing what you want to do and experience everything you want to experience, I don't think it would be so bad to get old. A long life of depression, I'd say no, but a long life of happiness and experience being able to tell others the things you've experienced, seen, and learned, I think would be awesome. I guess, what it boils down to, is HOW you live a long life, not so much THAT you lived it.

I'm in my teens at the moment, and I look forward to being 70. I'd have a great bushy white beard and would take up residence in some remote area by the sea, where I'd go for hikes down the coast line and smoke my pipe all day without a care in the world. It'd be great as long as I was still mentally and physically able.

And just how do you know, youngster? I'm just staggered by your youthful wisdom. NOT!
So what you are saying is that I should have died (killed myself?) before I met my lovely young GF, bought a yacht and sailed off with her to the Caribbean and give up having the time of my life. You are so full of it.
Sure, I'm feeling my age physically; things hurt, I'm not as agile and I don't jump off the top of the mast into the water any more, but I'm living life to the fullest without fear of death and I'll bet that's more than you can say.

Eh, old age was culturally built into us as being the point in life you can finally retire from working your hands to the bone every week of your life. Bleh, find a way to trump the system, make a scheme or learn a profitable skill so you dont have to grind your body to death, enjoy your youth, try everything once, old age is a scam.

People who are older are wiser since they have been through stuff. People who have been through A LOT in child hood are going to be a lot wiser than the general public. People who have been in the system are much wiser about how the system works and how it gets abused and will tell you about it.

So age often does gives you wisdom since you have had a lot more years to do stuff. As well as that when you are older its easier to be independent and you are not always relent on someone else for things.

A person who is 30 has more experience and is probably going to make 25-40 an hour depending how long they have been working. An 16-17 year old can look forward generally to making 8-10 an hour.

That is where the saying comes from. Now yes some people are still idiots no matter how old they get. You are going to learn things as you experience them though.

However don't confuse wisdom with overall knowledge. A persons knowledge on a matter is not the same as wisdom. If a person knows how to fix a computer since they read a book how to or were taught to is not the same as experience. Experience is having to repair the computer themselves since its always breaking down and they decided to fix it themselves.

you get to sit there and yabber on about how the world turned to shit, how people are no good and how the price of ham has doubled

what could possibly not be enjoyable about that

Don't be suicidal dude. I've had those thoughts too but I guess some people would like to be around to see their grandchildren getting married...I really daunt becoming old but that just makes me want to make the best of my youth! When I do get there (if) I'd like to just pray, maybe teach a bit before phasing gracefully away. I'd like to experience every phase of my life and live it to the fullest that way. That's why I'm so good to old people, cause I could be them one day. Sad reality - but I'm not gonna run away anymore.

You act like you have a choice...we are all either gonna die young or die old and shriveled....but it is not as bad as you think and even has a lot of positives...on average you are smarter not necessarily smarter than everybody else..just smarter than yourself when younger....a lot of age related decline is bad habits , bad diet, lack of exercise etc...if you try to take care of yourself you can keep it together longer.....you generally have more money....more respect who I am I kidding..it sucks.....no really it aint that bad...I actually found the constant horniness of my youngers years emotionally painful....it was torture really ...constant sex frustration...now i get horny just at that time I start fooling around...perfect...

Fuck. My. Life.