The Old, the Wise, and the Culture of Aging September, 2015
We call them the elderly but not the elders. Growing older in this culture is an interesting and challenging experience. And growing older is ultimately what we all want to do. After all, what’s the alternative? It seems that there are no specific rules on how to go about this process. The culture tells us that when you reach a certain age (anywhere from 55-65), you can go play shuffleboard or visit McDonald’s and get a cheaper coffee. When it is decided that you are no longer capable, willing, or needy enough to participate in the daily hunt of “making a living,” then you may RETIRE.
Recent studies indicate that those who are turning 60 may be eligible for another 20+ years as our life span continues to expand. In many cultures those who are aging become the elders; but in this culture we just have “old” people. You would think that the culture would honor or reserve a special place for those who survive 6, 7, 8, or even 9 decades. But all we keep getting are discounts and reduced rates at restaurants, hotels, resorts, etc. And that’s okay. But it seems that we’re losing the one thing so difficult to attain – and that is wisdom.
There’s plenty of knowledge out there – plenty of people who know. But where are the wise elders who are sought after for counsel? What rites of passage have been established to reach this position? Why is this one commodity discounted? Where are the elders? And how do we find them? We need to listen to their stories and pay attention to their counsel. We need their wisdom.
Our current lifestyle has recently been diagnosed with attention deficit. We fritter from one thing to the next in a matter of heartbeats with little concentration and much distraction. The visual stimulus in our culture is overwhelming. We are constantly bombarded with a steady barrage of advertising, news, sports, commentators, and events of little value. And we are slowly becoming a population of lemmings. As a people, we have grown tired of the steady mindless chatter telling us what is or is not important. We need a rebirth and a renaissance. And the irony is, just maybe that can be found in the aging population ~ the one group that is slowly discarded and discounted as they grow older. Perhaps the answer to many of our dilemmas and lack of inspiring leadership can come directly from this source. Maybe we will begin to look at this group as our elders rather than old people, or we can somehow stop referring to them as “retired,” “old” or “disabled.” Perhaps we can remove all of the labels of limitation that we have cast on them and give them the respect and honor they have earned. We need their wisdom ~ and we need it now.
Is there a rightful place for the aged? For those who draw closer to the edge of the mystery? Is there any value to their lives, their stories, and their counsel? Can we find the wisdom from their own personal dramas and life stories that can somehow enrich and sustain us for the future as we rapidly become that same population? To be able to look beyond the form ~ the wrinkles, the thin, graying hair, the stooped shoulders, or the cane – and find the essence of the meaning of each life. Perhaps that is wisdom in itself.
(Don Mega) A dear old running friend.
