Whenever I see a couple of roughly the same age, where the man is only a couple of years older than the woman, I am struck by the feeling that they are a poor match, and that she is too old for him. The older the couple, the stronger the feeling. I am surprised by it ever anew, too. Why do I not feel that he is too young for her, instead? And why do I feel there is a mismatch, anyhow? There are no oughts or shoulds in my perception, at least not to my knowledge, and yet this feeling is persistent. Could it have a biological root? Or is it a cultural prejudice of some sort? Having put all this into words, I am none the wiser, but at least I have assured myself that the prejudice, either biological or cultural, is not my own. And that is already something.

Addendum (July 8, 2016)

The prejudice, if this is what it is, persists nearly a decade later. Whenever I see a couple of roughly the same age, I am struck by the feeling that the man and woman are a poor match. She is too old for him, that is. And the older the couple, the stronger this feeling of mine gets. Whatever the roots of my perception, at least it is not feigned in any way. As I grow older, I am ever more convinced in the veracity in the old age rule, where the woman’s age should be half of man’s plus seven years (“The Old Age Rule,” January 10, 1989). Its Indian roots only add to its credibility in my mind. And how. When it comes to fundamentals, ancient Indian rules such as this one are well beyond the so-called developed world. By a wide margin, too.