(This article, from the end of the year 2019, I accidently deleted. I hereby put it back online.)
Nowadays, being older seems to be not done. Being young has become an ideal that people have to meet throughout their entire lives. I find that a very strange phenomenon. I think an ideal image is unnecessary/worthless anyway because it is constructed by us and, moreover, depends on time (Middle Ages vs. now) and space (Africa vs. U.S.). In addition, people succumb to the pressure that it brings. But this ideal image nobody cán meet during his entire life (if he/she does not die prematurely of course). Being young cannot be a norm since every person goes through different stages of life and therefore does not stay young forever.
All phases of life have their own advantages and disadvantages. Despite the physical decline and/or annoying ailments, old age also brings many qualities with it. For example, older people can make a meaningful contribution to the (future) vision of society because they, more than younger people, can put current events and developments in perspective. They grew up in a different world than their later-born fellow men; which means that we can shape society, with input from people of all age groups, with an eye for the past (lessons from history) and the future (inventions that suggest or require change). Entering into dialogue is the ultimate asset here.
Wanting to be young forever also points to a denial of the nature of life. Life is finite. Just as babies are vulnerable, we become (again) more vulnerable later on. A nice offshoot of this condition is the place or even need for reflection. After a lifetime in the rat race, this phase can offer innovative insights and insights based on the essential characteristics of existence. This can imply a different view of life. I think that’s a very good thing in a world based on achievement, in a world where success is derived from your capital (and I don’t mean your social capital; the ability to be there for each other/to make a nice contribution that really benefits people ). In other words: when we have been running for years, we will no longer be aware that we are running. After all, it has become our default, there is no other state of being anymore. When we then come to a standstill, this creates an opportunity for thinking of a completely different kind. A nature in which mortality, love and meaning play a prominent role.
An example of an opinion, formed by placing developments in perspective and looking at the world from a different perspective, is one on the topic of ‘working’. Because older people are no longer part of the professionally active population, older people can shed their light from the outside on the good and less good aspects of the contemporary organization of working life. For example, when they retire, they suddenly realize that everyone leads a much too stressed life and that time with the children deserves a much higher place in the ranking than is currently the case with the average parent (and perhaps in the past with the older person himself). That this was not the case in his parents’ time, that they did have time and that society still kept on running. This way they can warn others about the phenomenon and make sure that they do not make the same ‘mistake’.
Adjusting the appearance plays a very important role in maintaining the illusion of being young. Using Botox is therefore an upcoming trend. I absolutely do not support the reasons for this and I find it very unfortunate that some people feel compelled to do so. For me, wrinkles are by no means a sign of not being enough anymore, but of interesting life experiences and a signal that real listening is worthwhile. I can then incorporate the information I receive from these more experienced peers in the judgments I make and the opinions I defend/formulate in my further life in this society (of disagreement).
Finally, I want to talk about taking care of the very oldest. I have the feeling that all too often these people are approached patronizing. While the elderly (in nursing homes) should not be treated as small children in any way. When we do, we deny their personality and the richness of experiences that they carry with them. Children cannot judge themselves that good because they lack experience and knowledge (to some degree, though this is not always the case). This is the reason why we impose rules on them and not let them make all decisions by themselves. But the elderly have just gained the most experience from all of us, they are the ‘maturity’ itself. Treating them the same as children who are just characterized by the opposite, would be a big mistake and an insult to these unique people.
The Idealist 