Y

outh will be served, they say, which leaves little for the rest of the population to do except fade quietly into the background without spoiling the party.

Getting older, to those who dread the passing of another year, is to be simply old and old-fashioned, their best days behind them.

But that is not how Liang views the process of maturing.

Transitions in life can act as a blunt reminder not only that we are getting older, but also of our own mortality.

Despite the respect traditionally accorded the aged in Asian societies, young people rule the roost in Indonesian popular culture today. Step into any Jakarta mall, and you have to make way for the advancing ranks of consumer-oriented youngsters with shopping bags draped over one arm, a BlackBerry in one hand and a junk food item of choice in the other.

Step aside (older) people.

To turn on the TV is to get the latest update on a teenage starlet or two, watch them act their way through a melodramatic soap opera or catch the morning live music shows where Indonesian teenagers bop to all their favorites.

Despite the conventional wisdom - getting older means having a more mature, seasoned perspective on life and that 50 is the new 40, and 40 the new 30 - many of us dread the advance of time.

"For me, turning 40 wasn't such a big deal, because I knew it was coming and you are kind of prepared for it," says one Jakarta private company employee.

"But reaching 41 was tougher because there is nothing special about that, and you know there is no going back into your 30s, which is still on the young side.

"Suddenly, I felt old."

Liang, by contrast, has embraced the process of getting up there in years. She is on a mission to do away with the perception that life is only to be enjoyed by those under the age of 40.

Her group, appropriately called Life Begins at 40, organizes a varied schedule of events each month that focuses on a different aspect of life, especially enhancing mind, body and spirit awareness.

It's a clich*, but Liang really does see age as just a number, a simple statistic of fact that has no bearing on the potential that lies within every individual, regardless of whether they have a few unwanted gray hairs or crow's feet.

"We provide a space for 40-somethings to share about their life and experiences, and to help each other," says Liang, whose organization operates from Dharmawangsa Square in South Jakarta.

People in their 40s are in an awkward position, she notes: They're mid-life but not considered "old-old". They have often reached a position of leadership, with the emerging questions of whether this is it for them.

Liang says the idea for the group comes from her own life experience. She worked in the ad industry for many years, sometimes putting in 60-hour weeks in what she calls a "work-hard, play-hard" lifestyle.

Her wake-up call came when she was 37 and fell ill for several days. Angry at her sudden dependence on others, she determined to get healthy physically by taking better care of herself and, spiritually, by devoting herself to some of the volunteer activities she was involved in when she was younger.

"I realized I was happier helping others than selling them noodles," she says.

When she turned 40, she shaved her head as a symbol of rebirth and went on a 10-day meditation course.

Still, Liang meets resistance from those she is trying to reach.

"People don't want to admit it *that they are getting older* so they are reluctant to join. And we're lucky to have the Dharmawangsa, because many sponsors say they are not interested in anything that isn't for those 35 and below."

Now in her late 40s, Liang says she is looking forward to being 50. She says getting older has given her more confidence and helped her get rid of her fears, including about the pressure to succeed.

The long hours at the office she used to love - she remembers working 35 hours straight sometimes - are not for her anymore.

She still gets emotional sometimes but the little things don't bother her as much. "I used to get very upset if I wore the wrong socks to the office," she says. "Now I don't care. I just take things as they are."

- Bruce Emond