/ˈājˌōld/
adjective:
"having existed for a very long time".
Back in the day, centuries ago perhaps, 40 would have been described as age-old. Then later, after the industrial revolution when retirement age was raised to 60, and even a bit later now (like 65 or even 70), age-old has been redefined. But people are now living even longer and once again age-old is being re-assessed and this time with far greater impact.
In 1967 authors G.C. Johnson and W.F. Nolan co-authored "Logan's Run". It was made into a movie in 1976. In the movie, due to over-population and dwindling resources, people's lives were terminated at age 30 (with a promise of reincarnation into a more "blissful life", which was a lie). In the book the "expiration" age was actually 21 but apparently it was difficult to get named actors close to that age, let alone look 21. In the story those who did not want to be terminated went into hiding and became runners. Those who succeeded in their escape found a sanctuary place and for the first time saw their first old person.
Just as an aside, but utterly unconnected to what I will muse about though quite amusing as book and movie titles go, Cormac McCarthy wrote a book in 2005 and it was quickly made into a movie in 2007. BUT it was not a sequel to Logan's Run. The book/movie was "No Country for Old Men". I thought I'd just mention that. It came to me just now and I can't resist the humor (But I must add that the movie, though great, was not for the faint of heart).
Back to some serious stuff.
In 1967 authors G.C. Johnson and W.F. Nolan co-authored "Logan's Run". It was made into a movie in 1976. In the movie, due to over-population and dwindling resources, people's lives were terminated at age 30 (with a promise of reincarnation into a more "blissful life", which was a lie). In the book the "expiration" age was actually 21 but apparently it was difficult to get named actors close to that age, let alone look 21. In the story those who did not want to be terminated went into hiding and became runners. Those who succeeded in their escape found a sanctuary place and for the first time saw their first old person.
Just as an aside, but utterly unconnected to what I will muse about though quite amusing as book and movie titles go, Cormac McCarthy wrote a book in 2005 and it was quickly made into a movie in 2007. BUT it was not a sequel to Logan's Run. The book/movie was "No Country for Old Men". I thought I'd just mention that. It came to me just now and I can't resist the humor (But I must add that the movie, though great, was not for the faint of heart).
Back to some serious stuff.
The baby boomers today are not only themselves getting older, they are taking care of or, at the very least, dealing with an even more age-old segment of society - their own parents . It is a new phenomenon. "New" that has all a lot to do with everything age-old.
The baby boomer is also labeled the sandwiched generation. Their own children are at middle-age, who have children of their own, all representing the bottom half of the sandwich. The upper half are the baby boomer's own parents.
This overlapping of generations, however we label them - Millennials, the Gen X, etc. has not occurred at anytime in "ancient" history.
What are we to make of this? The baby boomers may not only have their own parents to contend with, there are three generations following them.
Let's think about this. So, we have the baby boomers' parents already engulfed by the deepening shadows of twilight. The baby boomers themselves are peripherally at the edge of the colors of sunset - fading red, violet and deep-orange of twilight - while Gen X are directly below the blazing sun of noon, searing in the midst of their careers, raising their young children and worrying about them, Millennials are at the workplace that do not seem to meet their expectations in a world that in their minds is not working for them, while some of the Gen Z are already at the Millennial's heels.
This is interesting and at the same time frightening because this might be too much for society, the government and the various institutions to grapple with. Let's leave that to politicians, anthropologists, historians and social pundits to dwell on. I will get back to this in a bit.
It was my wife's birthday a few days ago. We had a nice lunch - just the two of us - and she wanted to spend the rest of the day at the Museum. Partly, we needed to pick up our new membership cards. We've been supporters of the museum since the kids were younger and we continued to be supporting members. Of course, it was strange to go to the museum on a birthday but then - why not?
We found the museum that one particular day as a place for the very young. There were young school kids herded and kept in line by a handful of young teachers, then there were toddlers and the two to four year-olds with their grand parents trying very hard to keep up with them. While waiting at the main lobby for the planetarium to open up for the next show, we watched a three year old experiencing the biggest thrill of his young life astride a heaving and growling mechanical dinosaur while his parents recorded the event. That was a day that, to me, encapsulated the overlapping of generations.
At the planetarium the handful of adults were outnumbered by the children of various ages for a show that was "The Stars of the Pharaohs". The contrast was not lost to my wife and I, although it gave us hope or at least we believed there was hope in children watching with youthful eyes the age-old story of the time of the pharaohs - who better than to define the really aged; or the next show - "The Dinosaurs of Antarctica at the IMAX theater.
They were young children or young people during WWII. Those older than them are mostly gone now. Many of them have memories of the war. Many still living may have fought in that war, while others may even have lost their parents and loved ones.
I can't find a study that shows if nursing homes actually hasten or lengthen the lives of the really old. What of the quality of the time and care? What are the alternatives? This seems like mainly a problem in the developed world. Is it because longevity in third world countries relatively shorter? Or, is the cultural foundation in the latter part of the world better equipped to deal with their age-old generations?
I am not offering any answers but to get the reader to think. Are nursing homes the best for the age-old generation? The answers we find will determine what will confront us when it is time for our place at the setting sun, when twilight will then seem to recede faster than we think.
Here is an even deeper question. Age regression is a well documented occurrence among most of the elderly.
"Age regression occurs when someone reverts to a younger state of mind. ... may revert to childlike behavior as a means to cope with anxiety or fear. ... as they grow older".
Are we prepared to leave a "child" like parent in the care of a facility where they will feel alone even when there are people there? That was what Robin Williams worried about. The capacity of the elderly to forge friendships or ability to develop new relations with strange people is next to nil at that point of their lives. Once they revert to that child-like behavior, it will be both sad and tragic to be cared for by strangers.
Below is the link to "A Most Valuable Companion" for those who may be interested:
https://abreloth.blogspot.com/2017/01/a-most-valuable-companion.html
And for an even more uplifting musing: "Twilight" might be worth a read for those who haven't yet,
https://abreloth.blogspot.com/2016/09/twilight.html
At the planetarium the handful of adults were outnumbered by the children of various ages for a show that was "The Stars of the Pharaohs". The contrast was not lost to my wife and I, although it gave us hope or at least we believed there was hope in children watching with youthful eyes the age-old story of the time of the pharaohs - who better than to define the really aged; or the next show - "The Dinosaurs of Antarctica at the IMAX theater.
Let us focus on the really age-old of all the generations - the 90 year-olds and over still among us. Lest we forget, they are the last remaining population to have come before us all. There are an entire four generations behind them. They are the parents of a good segment of the baby boom generation. We will call them the real age-old generation.
To the baby boomer generation's grand children, these are the "ancient generation". They are the grand parents of the Gen X. What do we know about them?
They were young children or young people during WWII. Those older than them are mostly gone now. Many of them have memories of the war. Many still living may have fought in that war, while others may even have lost their parents and loved ones.
They became parents of the generation that today are the sandwich generation and in so doing opened up the world to all the possibilities never seen before the big war. They are our direct bridge to that part of history that was the foundation of all the generations today.
What is happening to them today is not only worth a conversation among us all but they - those still living - are where we begin a serious soul searching as we find ways, the most humane we can come up with, on which to lay the foundation for future generations to come.
Let us be direct and blunt about this. How do we take care of them? If nursing homes or letting them live by themselves or neglecting them are all we have then woe to all who follow. It is because, without exception, twilight and the night are where we are all heading. The final destination for all generations is that each will get to become the age-old generation of the future. That future will be best served if we do something today in the present.
The age-old generation.
Three years ago from my second most popular musing, "A Most Valuable Companion", I quote what the late Robin Williams said about being alone.
“I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up all alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people that make you feel alone”. Robin Williams
To that I wrote:
... we have those living alone in their homes, old and weak, and more by a much higher number in nursing homes. The former is tragic by sheer helpless isolation; the latter a much sadder state to be lonely or feeling alone even when there are people around.The age-old generation.
Three years ago from my second most popular musing, "A Most Valuable Companion", I quote what the late Robin Williams said about being alone.
“I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up all alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people that make you feel alone”. Robin Williams
To that I wrote:
I can't find a study that shows if nursing homes actually hasten or lengthen the lives of the really old. What of the quality of the time and care? What are the alternatives? This seems like mainly a problem in the developed world. Is it because longevity in third world countries relatively shorter? Or, is the cultural foundation in the latter part of the world better equipped to deal with their age-old generations?
I am not offering any answers but to get the reader to think. Are nursing homes the best for the age-old generation? The answers we find will determine what will confront us when it is time for our place at the setting sun, when twilight will then seem to recede faster than we think.
Here is an even deeper question. Age regression is a well documented occurrence among most of the elderly.
"Age regression occurs when someone reverts to a younger state of mind. ... may revert to childlike behavior as a means to cope with anxiety or fear. ... as they grow older".
Are we prepared to leave a "child" like parent in the care of a facility where they will feel alone even when there are people there? That was what Robin Williams worried about. The capacity of the elderly to forge friendships or ability to develop new relations with strange people is next to nil at that point of their lives. Once they revert to that child-like behavior, it will be both sad and tragic to be cared for by strangers.
Below is the link to "A Most Valuable Companion" for those who may be interested:
https://abreloth.blogspot.com/2017/01/a-most-valuable-companion.html
And for an even more uplifting musing: "Twilight" might be worth a read for those who haven't yet,
https://abreloth.blogspot.com/2016/09/twilight.html
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