The stubborn old spirit

AGNES is a wearable suit designed to simulate old age by altering the functioning of the arms, legs, hands, neck, spine, eyes, ears and other crucial body parts

This week, a 72-year-old man crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a small, self-designed, barrel-shaped plywood vessel. For four months, he steered the bright orange barrel with the help of the wind and ocean currents, often braving bad weather on the way and twice narrowly missing collisions with ships. When someone asked him why he did it, he replied: “Maybe to prove that I’ve still got it.”

This tenacious adventurer got me thinking about people who do what they do even when age tries to hold them back. I have often found myself stumped by their resolve. And it isn’t always about