You don't have to be old in America to say of a world you lived in, "That world is gone."

Noonan’s line points to the speed and scale of social, technological, and political change in the United States. In a country that repeatedly reinvents itself—through immigration, economic upheavals, cultural shifts, and rapid innovation—people can feel historical dislocation even when they are young. The quote suggests that “old age” is not the only route to nostalgia or loss; modern American life can make entire ways of living, speaking, working, or believing seem to vanish within a single generation. It also carries an implicit critique: progress and dynamism can come with a cost, leaving citizens unmoored from shared reference points and traditions.