A full life,
well lived
A good old age isn't just about national policies; it's
also about changing mindsets
WAS Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw corrects when he
said that "youth is wasted on the young"? For the old, looking on the
young, it may seem so. Seen in retrospect, the strength, vitality and potential
of youth rarely appear to be utilized to their fullest: the wisdom to
appreciate the value and joys of youth apparently being something that is
attained in later years, through regret over a misspent life. So, the inspiring
tales of sexagenarians, septuagenarians and octogenarians climbing Mount Everest,
running in marathons, completing triathlons, going back to university and being
more active and fitter than "young" people should hardly be a
surprising or astonishing feat. Some in society may label such active senior
citizens as "trying to be young" or free to pursue such activities
because they are now unencumbered with "real responsibilities"; but
that's just the envy talking.
What is perhaps surprising is that not more
"old" people are seen or portrayed as leading active lives. If the
active ageds are covered by the press, they are often presented as something
unique: going against the grain. But, often in the media, old people make their
appearance to recount some event in history, as sad abandoned inmates in old
folk's homes, grateful recipients of welfare aid, or "in memoriam".
Certainly, these people do exist, too, and deserve attention; but such
portrayals do a disservice to senior citizens because it categorizes them as a
phenomenon, or symptom of a social disease, rather than as real people. It
gives the impression that old age is a terrible stage in life, to be endured as
one waits for death, a corridor through which to pass from one existence to
another, rather than a room or dance hall in which to live and exist. And in
doing so, it perpetuates the stereotype of "old age": dooming old
people to living out their days preparing for death, instead of living life.
But, what is the reality of old age? True, the skin gets
thinner and wrinkles, the body less well-toned (yes, even for Russian President
Vladimir Putin), and the batteries need recharging more often. But a body is
not a life. It is just a vessel to carry life. Treat it well enough, and it
will provide transport for many good years. And, whether the body be young or
old, how far it travels, and in which direction, depends entirely on the
driver. The reality of life, youth, old age, and whether being "old"
or "young" is a good or bad thing, is whatever one chooses to make of
it. Just as youth can be wasted on the young, old age can be wasted on the old.
A person has only this one life to live; that life need not be filled with
regret looking backwards, nor dread looking forward.
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