Jumping ahead – why does age make us mellow?

Softer speech, greater deliberation, more introspection – all seem to accompany the aging process and progress along with it. Why was this not available to me earlier?

Does life have its own caste system – each decade of aging putting us into a different category where we perform best, and preparing us for our natural move to the next category even as time inexorably moves its wheels?

-Mani