For almost a month now, 2016 has officially been over (hallelujah). However, that doesn’t mean all of our troubles have magically disappeared. As we try to find our footing in this limbo of uncertainty, I think it’s about time we started asking the real questions, like: why is Anderson Cooper’s hair so white?

He’s only 49. Surely his silvery-white mane couldn’t be the result of natural aging processes, could it? Let’s take a look at him in his younger days:

See? Not bad! Downright dashing! Why change, Anderson?

Positively Dreamy. Just look at those eyes. But perhaps he started getting self-conscious once his dark locks started lightening to salt and pepper.

I personally don’t see the problem. But hey, he’s entitled to his own preferences. In fact, in an interview with People magazine he admitted to being an “unwilling silver fox.” Hard to believe, I know.

“I don’t really like my gray hair. I wish I still had brown hair. It’s not my thing.”

A heartbroken nation weeps. Well then, why not just dye it back to its original brown?

“You can, of course, dye. Plenty of guys do, but if you ask me, you might as well advertise your desperation. Why not just wear a button that says "I sit in a salon once a month with silver foil in my hair.” (x)

Jeez, tell us how you really feel, Andy.

So the truth is out: Anderson Cooper doesn’t bleach or lighten his hair; it’s all natural. Unfortunately, that's not what he prefers, but you can’t keep yourself from getting older.

Chin up, Andy. It happens to the best of us. In fact, I would like to share a few words with Anderson, or really any person scared of letting some gray show through:

I feel you. I haven’t started going gray yet, seeing as I’ve just recently concluded my teenage years (and I stubbornly insist on keeping my hair a vibrant shade of blue), but I understand that seeing yourself grow older can be a confusing or even scary experience. For example:

You habitually drink coffee in the late hours of the evening, free as a bird and unaffected by the high caffeine content; then one night it keeps you awake. As time progresses you begin to rely on it just to get yourself out of the house in the morning.

Your back hurts. Why? You’re still young and limber. You’ve done yoga before without incident. How dare your body put itself through this pain without even giving you the satisfaction of saying you did something strenuous enough to hurt yourself?

The same goes for gray hairs. We see them as harbingers of our inevitable fate, silvery-clad horsemen charging towards us with nowhere for us to hide. We fear getting older, but why?

Shouldn’t we appreciate how much experience we’ve gained through the years? How many life lessons we’ve checked off of our list that we don’t have to embarrass ourselves by learning again? We know how to pay taxes, how to organize books using the dewey decimal system, how to use fabric softener, countless useful skills that attest to our boundless wisdom of experience.

Perhaps we see aging as a sign of missed opportunities. However much we’ve accomplished, we could always have done more. Loved more, read more, written more, travelled more; it never ends. Watching our youth float away can make us feel as though we’ve squandered perhaps the most romanticized period of our lives. We’ve missed the great game because we were too worried about what was coming next.

I say “we” as though I’ve already seen the dewey-eyed days of my youth pass me by firsthand. I’m still in them, I know. As a newly-minted 20-year-old, however, it’s shocking how fast the teenage years fled and how little they resembled all those scenes from the movies. Unrealistic expectations abound, but disappointment remains constant.

Because of this existential crisis of mine, I’ve resolved to make my 20s the most exciting and prosperous time of my life (at least thus far). Now, who knows to what extent I’ll have met those expectations by the eve of my 30th, but I encourage you, whatever age you are, to do the same. Begin a new chapter, whether you’re at the beginning of a new decade or trying to organize your life in the middle of one. Break boundaries, make new friends, try new things; with luck you’ll give yourself plenty to remember.

This one’s for you, Anderson Cooper. Be proud of your grays. Mount the silvery-clad horse and ride off into the sunset. You have America behind you.