We Don’t Depreciate

Humans do not have to depreciate like cars.

A car loses value the moment you drive it off the lot. Every mile weakens it. Every use moves it closer to the end of its usefulness. It is a gradual decline, and we accept that as normal because for cars, it is true.

People sometimes apply that same logic to life. We get older, we become less useful. Less relevant. Less valuable.

But we are not cars. And we are not baked cakes either. As a mentor of mine once said, once a cake is baked, that is it. It cannot become anything else. We can.

When we are young, we often have physical strength, speed, and stamina. We can do things with our bodies that feel effortless. And yes, over time, those things change. Certain physical abilities may no longer come as easily. But that does not mean usefulness disappears. It means it transforms.

What we lose in physical capacity, we gain in perspective, discernment, and experience. What we once did, we can now teach. That is why so many coaches are former players. They may no longer run the fastest or jump the highest, but they understand the game in a way they could not when they were in it.

Usefulness is not a straight line that slopes downward. It is a shifting shape. It evolves.

A society that only values youth misunderstands growth. Aging is not deterioration. It is redistribution. Strength becomes wisdom. Speed becomes strategy. Action becomes guidance.

We are not depreciating assets. We are changing instruments.

And that makes all the difference.