This is 60: Diamond (Michael) Scott Responds to The Oldster Magazine Questionnaire
"I see this period of my life as an opportunity to step into my legacy years with unbridled freedom and grace."
From the time I was 10, I’ve been obsessed with what it means to grow older. I’m curious about what it means to others, of all ages, and so I invite them to take “The Oldster Magazine Questionnaire.”
Here, journalist, editor, and “global book ambassador” Diamond-Michael Scott responds. -Sari Botton
Diamond (Michael) Scott is an independent journalist and editor with over twenty years of writing and content development experience. In 2014, he had the distinction of becoming one of the first full-time (independent) blockchain journalists in the world. Through this role he’s covered a broad range of topics in the emerging digital economy arena with feature stories that appeared in publications like Governing Magazine, Nasdaq.com, Bitcoin Magazine, Reason Magazine and Comstock’s Business Magazine to name a few. Prior to his journalistic work, Michael was on the healthcare leadership team of three hospitals and a community health center over the span of 11 years. He later embarked on a career as a professional speaker and writer, amassing over 85 speaking engagements a year along with scores of professional writing opportunities.
Today, he is the chief thought leader and global book ambassador for “Great Books, Great Minds,” a global Substack publication with a mission of igniting a new world of community, connection, and conversation, one book at a time. His content diaspora features a unique array of authors and books that explore emerging issues in our rapidly evolving world. Michael currently resides in the Las Vegas area which he considers a hub for his digital nomadic lifestyle. He enjoys listening to jazz and blues music, random conversations with strangers at edgy coffeehouses and martini bars, and watching NHL hockey. As a proud graduate of THE Ohio State University he is a lifelong Buckeye Nation enthusiast!
A self-described philosophical Taoist, his three core values are expansion, connection, and economic freedom. He writes a few newsletters on Substack.
How old are you?
60 years old
Is there another age you associate with yourself in your mind? If so, what is it? And why, do you think?
30 (half the age I am today). My mindset is definitely that of a 60-year-old millennial in that I’m very nomadic and have a propensity for not following prevailing rules and norms.
Do you feel old for your age? Young for your age? Just right? Are you in step with your peers?
I feel young for my age and have been blessed with near perfect health over the years.
NBA pro basketball coaching legend Phil Jackson is my ageless idol….He’s the ultimate Zen master — grounded, purposeful, and seemingly okay with the ephemeral nature of life. I aim to embody this in my own lived experiences moving forward.
What do you like about being your age?
A lot of things that used to irk or annoy me I feel a deep sense of peace about. I see this period of my life as an opportunity to step into my legacy years with unbridled freedom and grace.
What’s difficult about being your age?
Nada. Difficult is nothing more than a fleeting mindset and a potential growth opportunity. I am who I am.
What is surprising about being your age, or different from what you expected, based on what you were told?
How I have continued to maintain pristine health. In this regard, I feel blessed as both of my parents both died at a relatively young age.
What has aging given you? Taken away from you?
I feel like it's given me the freedom to say what I wanna say, when I wanna say it. Frankly, I couldn’t care less about what other people think about me anymore.
And I can’t think of anything in terms of what aging has taken from me. Overall, I’m doing pretty good on all fronts. I have few friendships and only two family members I’m close to (my brother and my cousin). My eyesight and hearing are in mint condition. I can still walk up to 12 miles a day. And yes, I only eat one meal a day. But the only thing I’ve lost there is some weight. LOL!
How has getting older affected your sense of yourself, or your identity?
For whatever reason, I feel more confident in my older years; more willing to take risks; less worried about letting things fall through the cracks.
You’ll never see me retire. This may be a story but the thought that’s constantly chirping in my head is “to retire is to die.” That has certainly been the case with so many folks I know, including my dad.
What are some age-related milestones you are looking forward to? Or ones you “missed,” and might try to reach later, off-schedule, according to our culture and its expectations?
Outside of winning a raffle for a ball cap or a $5.00 for a scratch lottery ticket, I can’t ever recall winning much of anything in life. But one of my dreams has always been to win a MacArthur Fellowship for the work that I am doing around books and literacy. MacArthur Fellows receive a grant of $800,000 over five years to spend however they want.
What has been your favorite age so far, and why? Would you go back to this age if you could?
I loved being 21. I was fresh out of college, had my own bachelor pad in a cool part of Columbus (Ohio) and was making a whopping $18,720.00 a year. That felt like a lot of money back then.
I went bar hopping and dancing every weekend and had a series of hot girlfriends that I could afford to take to nice places for dinner. Life was so footloose and fancy-free back then.
Is there someone who is older than you, who makes growing older inspiring to you? Who is your aging idol and why?
NBA pro basketball coaching legend Phil Jackson is my ageless idol. He won 11 NBA championship rings before riding out into the sunset in Flathead Lake, Montana. He’s the ultimate Zen master — grounded, purposeful, and seemingly okay with the ephemeral nature of life. I aim to embody this in my own lived experiences moving forward.
What aging-related adjustments have you recently made, style-wise, beauty-wise, health-wise?
As opposed to the Italian cut double-breasted suits I wore back in my 20s and 30s, I’m now a Puma brandwear fanatic.
Health wise, I eat only one substantive meal a day and take ice cold showers in the morning. There are some studies that suggest that you live longer that way.
I loved being 21. I was fresh out of college, had my own bachelor pad in a cool part of Columbus (Ohio) and was making a whopping $18,720.00 a year. That felt like a lot of money back then.
What’s an aging-related adjustment you refuse to make, and why?
You’ll never see me retire. This may be a story but the thought that’s constantly chirping in my head is “to retire is to die.” That has certainly been the case with so many folks I know, including my dad. I’ve told folks to stick a fork in me and bury me along with all of my remaining books when it's time for me to go, harkening back to the title of Bill Perkins’ book, just Die With Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life.
What’s your philosophy on celebrating birthdays as an adult? How do you celebrate yours?
I’m not big on birthdays. I spent my 60th alone at a bar in Las Vegas eating a steak dinner. Though 65 seems like it will be a big deal for reasons I’m not totally sure of.
"You'll never see me retire." Amen to that!
I admire his attitude and love the line about stepping into the legacy years with unbridled freedom and grace. For me, part of that unbridled freedom is to eat as many delicious meals as possible.