February/March 2008
Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Ted Glick
A Better World is Possible
John Cavanaugh & Jerry Manders
Cultivating Wholeness and Community in a Fragmented World
Kim Corbin interviews Bill Plotkin
Relearning What We've Forgotten
Chris Maser
The Welcome Home Project
Jody Woodruff
Marc Allen
Diabetes: Inherently Treatable and In Many Cases Preventable
Daniel Smith, MD
Riding the Age Wave
Gaea Yudron
Radient Mind: Intervuew wuth author Peter Fenner
Carrie Grossman
Cosmic
Calendar
Salina Rain
Riding the Age Wave
By Gaea Yudron
What does it mean to age successfully? This is a question that increasing numbers of people will be asking, because we are in the midst of a very big age wave. Since the beginning of the century, the number of people over 65 in the US has increased from 3 million to 33 million. By 2050, 1 in 5 people will be over 60 years old. Here in southern Oregon, as the Rogue Valley becomes a retirement magnet, the age wave is quite visible, and growing. In Jackson County, people over 65 currently make up 16% of the population; in Josephine County, it’s 20%.
The age wave is happening not only in the US, but also in Europe, Japan and China. According to a UN report, there will be a global population of 2 billion older adults by 2050—equal to the combined populations of North America, Europe and India. This unprecedented age boom will undoubtedly have implications in many areas, including housing, money, social services, medicine, media and popular culture. In fact, no country is prepared for the age wave and all of its implications.
People over 50 now control 70% of the total wealth in the US, giving them great financial and political clout. But there’s more to the story. Experts also predict that tens of millions of boomers are headed for a poverty-stricken old age. How will elders with money give back? How will impoverished elders be cared for? These and other questions are just beginning to appear on the horizon, and are destined to burst into national awareness very soon.
If entire countries are unprepared for the implications of the age wave, so are most individuals. As anthropologist Ashley Montagu once quipped, “I want to die young at a ripe old age.” Everybody wants to live a long time, but who wants to grow old? Even though the word old has only three letters it often appears to be used like a four-letter word!
In ancient China, young poets tried to pass themselves off as ancient sages because they wanted the veneration that came with age. Earlier in our own country’s history, when people lived rural, family-based lives, there was considerable respect for age. Reaching old age was regarded as a sign of virtue or divine blessing. Older people were viewed as models—their life experience and force of character were influential in society. But that changed as we migrated to cities for industrial work, and earlier models of family dissolved.
Now we live in a culture where old age is often ignored or ridiculed.
It’s called gerontophobia, fear of old age and old people. Of course that includes fear of being labeled as old, which inspires so many to rigorous anti-aging strategies and surgeries in order to retain a semblance of youthfulness.
The other day I tried to strike up a conversation about aging with another woman who appeared to be in her 60s or 70s. She cocked her head to one side, and replied, “Aging? I think it’s best not to think too much about that!” End of conversation. I was frankly taken aback. It seems odd to dodge the very stage of life one is engaged in.
Composer and astrologer Dane Rudyar gives a clear description of some of the reasons behind our gerontophobia in an article titled “The Beauty of Aging,” written in the 70s. “Much too often, two of the most characteristic features of the American way of life—the cult of youth and physical vigor, and the drive toward achievement and personal success—have made men and women regard the natural aging process as a tragedy whose last acts have to be delayed or prolonged at almost any cost,” he writes. Rudyar makes the link between fear of aging and fear of death: “the mirage of everlasting youthfulness … has given greater strength to the fear of death, for death is presented as the ultimate affront to individuals yearning for unceasing achievement and power.” Indeed.
But things are changing.
Re-Inventing Aging
Gerontologist and author Ken Dychtwald notes “Aging is not what it used to be.” For one thing, people can expect to live longer and healthier lives. With so many people living to 80 and beyond, the markers for old age have gotten pushed back. What is old? Is 60 the new 40? Beyond easy catchwords, we are all exploring the territory of aging anew. As people age, they increasingly want to remain engaged in careers, creativity, and community work. The earlier version of disengaged retirement has lost its appeal.
In the book Successful Aging, written by John W. Rowe, M.D. and Robert L. Kahn, Ph.D. as part of the MacArthur Foundation Research Program in Aging, the authors examine and dispel six common myths (or ageist stereotypes) about aging, including:
To be old is to be sick.
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks
The horse is out of the barn.
The secret to successful aging is to choose your parents wisely.
The lights may be on but the voltage is low.
The elderly don’t pull their own weight.
As the authors note, “Contrasting these myths with scientific fact leads to the conclusion that our society is in persistent denial of some important truths about aging. Our perceptions about the elderly fail to keep pace with the dramatic changes in their actual status.” I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand more about the emerging field of aging and how positive life choices including relatedness, meaningful work, diet and exercise produce positive results for older adults.
Age as a Valuable Stage of Life
Pulitzer-prize winning author Robert N. Butler MD is a well-known figure in the field of aging. In 1968 Butler coined the word ageism, which is described as the discrimination, abuse, stereotyping, contempt for and avoidance of older people. For an eye-opening perspective on how ageism occurs in medicine, business, media and other aspects of culture, read Ageism in America, a report developed by the Anti-Ageism Taskforce at the International Longevity Center in New York, of which Butler is CEO.*
As the International Longevity Center website notes, “Although ageism is less acknowledged than racism or sexism, it is a harmful prejudice that results in widespread mistreatment, ranging from stereotypic and degrading media images to physical and financial abuse, unequal treatment in the workforce, and denial of appropriate medical care and services.“ In fact, numerous studies have shown that ageist stereotypes can impact the health and well-being of older adults.
Age provides a unique opportunity for self-development, healing and spiritual growth that is not available at any other time of life. According to psychologist Gay Luce, whose SAGE Project in the 70s was a pioneering effort in the field of creative aging, elderhood “is a time to discover inner richness for self-development and spiritual growth. It is also a time of transition and preparation for dying, which is at least as important as preparation for a career or family. Out of this time of inner growth come our sages, healers, prophets, and models for the generations to come.”
Carl Jung believed that inner work was the most important work for those in their elder years. Among the tasks of aging according to Jung are facing the reality of aging and dying, life review, letting go of the ego, and finding new rooting in the Self. In the 50s, psychologist Eric Erickson described generativity versus stagnation as the developmental work of the older years, pointing out the importance for older adults of guiding, mentoring and passing on their wisdom.
In this vein, the work of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi stands out. Now in his 80s, Schachter-Shalomi is the author of From Aging to Saging: A Profound New Vision of Growing Older. This is a wonderful book, and the spiritual eldering work that Rabbi Zalman developed is profound work for anyone seeking to dive deeper into harvesting the potential of their life experience. According to Rabbi Zalman, just engaging in an activity-oriented approach to successful aging is not enough. “Without envisioning old age as the culminating stage of spiritual development, we short-circuit this process and put brakes on the evolutionary imperative for growth that can be unleashed by our increasing longevity,” he writes.
What do you call old people? The current issue of Aging Today reports on a discussion held by Journalists Exchange on Aging to discuss the topic. Journalists agreed that when writing about older adults, it is wise to avoid stereotyping adjectives such as spry, feisty, sweet, little, feeble, curmudgeon, or of a certain age. Don’t mention someone’s age at all unless it is relevant to the article, they suggested. And don’t affect a gee-whiz attitude in your article just because some 90 year old is bungee jumping in Patagonia! Most disliked terms were elderly, senior citizen and baby boomer. Elder and mature person got better ratings. Geezer was out of the question. We can be encouraged by this type of discussion, which focuses attention on the development of more respectful language and portrayals of older adults.
It’s time for us to re-imagine aging. Ashland Center for Creative Aging is a new organization whose programs affirm the value of age and elders to individuals and society. The center’s programs are intended to advance the health and well-being of older adults, investigate issues and areas of interest to elders, enhance community and connection and eliminate ageism in media, business, medicine and community. The center’s next event is SageWave Café, a conversational gathering that will take place on Sunday, February 24th, 1-3pm at Headwaters, 84 Fourth Street. For further information on the center or its programs, please email gaea@snowcrest.net.
*The report is available for $9.95 from http://www/ilcusa.org/pages/publications/ageism-caregiving-sleep/ageism-in-america.php.
Gaea Yudron is an author and health care practitioner who offers Rapid Eye Healing and Hypnotherapy services in Ashland. She recently founded the Ashland Center for Creative Aging.
Gaea Yudron
