Happy AgingHappy aging is possible. The average age for Americans has increased to 78 years, and many of us are living longer. Whistler's Mother was an icon of another generation. She was 67 years old, which by today's standards, is fairly young. She looked very severe, rather isolated, and seemed to have a dark outlook on life or circumstances. Even by our standards, we feel that people should retire at 65, even though we expect them to live at least another 10 to 20 years, and we expect them to get sick, lonely, and depressed. Back when Mrs. Whistler lived, people were much soberer. They had an abiding belief in the afterlife, which came to many sooner, rather than later, and they had a 'healthy' fear of God. To refer to someone as a 'God-fearing individual' was a compliment. I'm not sure this outlook helped them live any longer, although it may have helped in the sense that partying, and all that partying entails, was avoided. Making jokes about the overweight is said to be the last bastion of prejudice, but I think we can include ageism. No one seems to have a problem with making judgements and jokes based on it; what these punsters don't realize is that if they live long enough, they too, can be the butt of these jokes. Boomers are leading the way to being happy while living longer. Plastic surgeons, fashion designers, all manner of professionals and marketers, are catering to people over 50. We are deciding our own course a long life, just as we decided what youth was about when we said we wanted to change the world. We didn't succeed as well as we wanted; some would argue things are worse. I can see an example in my own household: my son needs to lose weight, and he doesn't have a love of exercise as I did. He has a love of computers. Its not too late, though; we can keep showing the next generation a better way to 'live long, and prosper'. In some following articles I would like to explore aspects of aging. I would like to help get rid of some myths about age, and show ways everyone can plan to not only live longer, but live happily and productively. Some of these myths we'll debunk are: 1. That old people are sad and lonely. Some may be, but they may also have been that way their entire lives. It is possible to be older, and to be very happy. 2. Just as 'biology isn't destiny, DNA isn't destiny either. I am already hearing horror stories about the lengths people go to to avoid becoming ill with a disease that their DNA profile tells them they are subject to. Your fate is not in all in your genes. 3. That we should aim to retire as soon as possible. Not everyone wants to sit around the house, or conversely, spend all their time mowing the lawn. 4. That old people are draining the system and are a strain on our resources. I don't want to be put out on an ice flow. How about you? By the same token, I haven't had to use any of the resources the taxpayers pay for, such as Medicare, Medicaid, welfare, etc. I am still paying taxes, however. 5. The myth that we are getting old alone. Our society isolates many people. How you will fare in old age is not just an individual matter, it is also a function of society.
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