GR translation: Presenting too much more than one mean loss

[Paul Mackin]

On 11/2/2012 1:45 AM, Mike Jing wrote:
> P229.28-34  And so, one of them—pen, or empty glass—
> Is knocked from where it was, perhaps to roll
> Beyond the blank frontiers of memory . . .
> Yet this, be clear, is no “senile distraction,”
> But concentrating, such as younger men
> Can easily and laughing dodge, their world
> Presenting too much more than one mean loss—
>
> What exactly can "younger men easily dodge" here that older men 
> can't?  Whose world is "their world"?  And what is "one mean loss"?
>



The thing "young men can easily dodge" is having to concentrate fully on 
a single stimulus. Loss of the flower, say, is no big deal for them when 
there is so much else to capture.   "Their world" is the world which 
young men occupy--the world of many stimuli, all of potential relevance 
but none essential.  Old people will apparently find a single thing that 
it all important to them. Then they block out all else.

The reason Pavlov saw this age difference is probably explained in "the 
book" being passed around by the
survivors.

My guess would be that older people don't NEED, in their daily lives, to 
concentrate on very  much.  Nothing's essential.  They're retired as it 
were. They can go off on anything that takes their momentary fancy.

Or perhaps younger men are better at multi-tasking.

P