What comes to one’s mind whenever forty is mentioned?
In mathematics, “Forty is a composite number, an octagonal number, and as the sum of the first four pentagonal numbers, it is a pentagonal pyramidal number. Adding up some subsets of its divisors (e.g., 1, 4, 5, 10 and 20) gives 40, hence 40 is a semiperfect number. “
In science, “Negative forty is the unique temperature at which the Fahrenheit and Celsius scales correspond; that is, −40°F = −40°C.”
In religion, forty is often used for significant time periods.The Hebrew people lived in the Sinai desert for “forty years”. This period of years represents the time it takes for a new generation to arise. Forty days was the period from the resurrection of Jesus to his ascension. Muhammad was forty years old when he first received the revelation delivered by the archangel Gabriel.
But how about “forty Earth years” as in a life of a person . It is a key milestone in a person’s life as adolencence was. It is the time to evaluate who they are, what they have done and where will they be going.
Remember the cliche – life begins at forty, did anyone ever questioned it. So if it is a new chapter then one has to do a summary of the previous chapter. Instead of doing a bucket list of things to do before forty, I will instead do a report card of things I have done before forty.