Welcome back to Ancient Wisdom, our Sunday series in which writers over 70 tell us how they are aging gracefully. Last week, Maureen Ebel, 77, described losing her life savings in Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme—and how she learned to “play the hand you’re dealt.” This week, the great essayist Joseph Epstein, 88, kvetches about dealing with technology in h…
Ancient Wisdom: A Middle Digit to the Digital Age

“One of the temptations of old age is to view one’s earlier years as better. I’m not sure they were. But they were surely simpler,” writes Joseph Epstein. (Raquel Maria Carbonell Pagola/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Why do I have to put up with all these computer shortcuts, which usually turn out to be longcuts? Now in my late 80s, time is running out, and I have no wish to spend it trying to connect with iCloud.
--:--
--:--
Upgrade to Listen
Produced by ElevenLabs using AI narration
298
Subscribe to Unlock This Story
Support fearless journalism and unlock all of The Free Press—your first week is on us.
$8.33/month
Billed as $100 yearly
$10/month
Billed as $10 monthly
Already have an account?
Sign In
To read this article, sign in or start your free trial
