Aged

In a recent Guest Opinion by Boulder's own nonagenarian, Milton Slater (age 92) articulates the barely-heard voices of a certain elderly contingent i.e. those folks -- having overcome, having conquered, having survived a lifetime of challenges – now find themselves rewarded by . . . . . . . indifference (Milton Slater: Wisdom At the End of Life). Damnit, we have something to say. We have something to contribute. Beneath those wrinkles is a real human being

Dehumanizing the elderly is strangely illogical. Our discussion will center around that existential puzzle: why do we neglect and disdain the one vulnerable group we all eventually will join? Simone de Beauvoir had some useful ideas on why this self-harming habit exists: the not-yet-old are in denial, all the time, such that their aversion to the already-old expresses an attempt to flee from their own aging and mortality (Old Not Other).

But -- wait! -- old age is not contagious. You don't catch old age from old people. The shame of it all is that the already-olds become the “Other,” collateral damage from the not-yet-old's denial. The not-yet-old might be better served by taking stock as they come to terms with one of Sergi Cadenas’s thirty-second kinetic paintings.

They might learn that the attempt to flee from one’s own aging and mortality says something about their respective attachments, those components of an ego structure: if it’s to body and beauty and sexual allure, they will die a million deaths as they age; if it’s to money, they will never have enough; if it’s to power, they will feel weak and afraid; if it’s to intellect, they will end up feeling a fraud, always on the verge of being found out.

Well, now, just hear this from one nonagenarian who, by definition, has experienced at least four generational Turnings (MM 3/20/17 The Fourth Turning): many of us have continued our pursuit of a meaningful and enjoyable life in the face of past and present challenges – maybe different in type but at least as daunting as your own – having learned what counts in life is less about what happens to you than how it is you respond.

Your own life story is but one narrative among many, past and present. Don’t allow your own egoistic attachments distract you from understanding, negotiating, and adjusting to the times. We’d like to render some perspective. Don’t write us off. It would give us meaning as well.