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Lust For Life May Help Slow The Aging Process
And, when after decades of being a devoted fan of rock and roll, I was unmoved and apathetic about new and emerging artists in the 90s, preferring the classic rock of my g-g-g-eneration. (Which recalled when I was growing up and my father derided rock and roll, saying it wouldn’t last like the Big Band music of his youth and the likes of hip-swiveling Elvis Presley wouldn’t be remembered like the idols of his era, such as Frank Sinatra.) When I gaze at photos of newsmakers whose ages are near or close to mine, I often think, “I don’t look that old!” One exception may be former American Bandstand host, Dick Clark, who seems to have stemmed the aging process like the fictional Dorian Gray. On the other hand, when I look at generational peers, they don’t appear as old as our parents were when they were our age. Of course, I’m looking at it from a different perspective. If we had one choice to alter our lives, it might be to delay growing old — as long as we could maintain good health. It can’t be much fun living longer and suffering from chronic maladies, afflictions or worse. Some might prefer being rich as a life altering choice, but money can’t assure happiness or good health to enjoy it. Of course, as fast as science and technology advance, who knows what could happen in the next few decades to prolong a healthy life. After all, in just the last 50 years the average life span has been extended at least five more than when we were born. It is estimated that by 2010, the average life span of an American woman will be 81, which makes 40 the halfway point. Today, however, some treat aging as something to be ashamed or vain about, validated by the escalating cosmetics and pharmaceuticals that superficially postpone the aging process. In 2004, according to AARP magazine, there were nearly 12 million instances of cosmetic surgery. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to look good, but those who Botox or collagen or opt for cosmetic surgery, for temporary beauty that may boost self-confidence, can’t ultimately change the natural aging process. C’mon, we all know there’s no magic elixir or fountain of youth, especially when you read the fine-print disclaimers (with requisite reading glasses or contact lenses, I’m sure) for those products. Sadly, our culture stigmatizes growing older like it’s a plague. Movies, television and other forms of entertainment typically promote superficial and external characteristics, ignoring the point that along with wrinkles, gray hair and other hints of aging, comes experience and wisdom that eludes youth. The chief reason youth is coveted and targeted by advertisers may be because younger spenders, with little or few responsibilities, have a disposable income with which they freely spend more than their elders. Hollywood is perhaps the guiltiest for ignoring actresses after they pass their 40th birthday, treating them like they’re over the hill or washed up by generally not offering them plum starring roles. Several years ago, the Screen Actors Guild released a study that revealed actresses over 40 got only eight percent of film roles, while women under 40 landed 25 percent of all parts. Yet, actors over 60, like Clint Eastwood, Al Pacino and Jack Nicholson, continually land leading roles, and are often paired with actresses young enough to be their daughters, who are sometimes depicted as their lovers. Sorta like art imitating life. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens in the workplace in the next decade as some baby boomers remain in the workforce to bolster retirement savings even as they reach the traditional retirement age of 65. Will employers force them out as part of the “natural order” for younger replacements with lower pay scales or allowed to stay and leave on their own? Up until now, the courts have not been as generous with age-discrimination lawsuits as they have with claims of sex and racial bias. With an aging population, perhaps that stance will be softened. I’ve met people older than me who seem younger because of their attitude, yet I also regularly encounter people younger than myself who act like old fogies — and they’re only in their 40s! When I get together with my oldest friends, who I’ve known since junior high school, and their wives, they don’t appear as old as their chronological ages, perhaps because that would make me old, too. When I look in the mirror, I don’t see myself as old in the same context of what I thought was old when I remember my grandparents. Heck, they were old when I met them as a child! I prefer the philosophy that one is as only as old as one feels. There’s that adage that goes: just because there’s snow on the roof, doesn’t mean there’s no fire in the furnace. Okay, that has some sexual innuendo but it could also apply to one’s fire for life, which shouldn’t diminish regardless of age, because when that fire is quenched, you are old!
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