What does it mean to grow older? How will we all handle the challenges that will face us? All of us human beings will either grow old or we will die at a younger age. Yet we rarely talk about what this means to us individually and collectively. The body starts to slow down and refuses to move in the way it used to move. We no longer have the energy, and the ability to keep going as we once did.
Benefits of age and aging, problems of aging and age
We know there are benefits to this process, but because the body no longer looks or acts as it once did, we have a difficult time acknowledging this slow down.
In other societies seniors are given a status that our society does not give them. Our worth is tied up with our producitivity. So when we retire, our value goes down. Males seem to suffer more from this change than females. Males, traditionally have been the bread winners. They have been valued as the ones who earn more money. This has been changing as families are changing and there are more women at the head of their families. But women have also traditionally been more available for friendships and creating communities that are satisfying to the heart.
So what do we need to do in order to not only survive but also how do we threive? I feel it is important to start facing the challenges of aging way before our 80’s. We need to make decisions to be more connected with family, friends, community, a religious or spiritual practice and we need to keep moving our bodies and our brains. If we are open and honest and make plans when we are healthy, then even though we might have some difficulties awaiting us, we will be more prepared.
As we age we are more able to be ourselves, accept our strengths and weaknesses. Accept what we have accomplished and understand we might never do all that we were hoping to do and that is okay!