Age Matters
If the stern majesty of Queen Victoria defined
the 19th Century, the
20th Century royal icon
was the captivating youth and fragility
of Princess Diana. Youth was not a subject of social concern before the 20th
Century. The term “teenage years” did
not make an appearance till 1941. Today one could say the hourglass has
reversed and it is old age that has receded into the shadows.
Old age once associated with wisdom and power, is today seen
as a disability. The stereotype of an older person as passive, insulated from
the everyday demands of life, is reinforced in popular culture, advertising,
the fashion industry, and television dramas. The workplace, education, even the
art world, place faith exclusively in the under 35s. In 1992 the advertising mogul,
Charles Saatchi and his brother Maurice, began promoting young artists, an
influence that spread across the art world. It is difficult to imagine a
Rembrandt today, making more than ninety self-portraits meticulously
recording his ageing process from youth to the last year of his life.
The seeds were sown as far back as Oedipus and Aristotle,
who both saw old age as the helpless loss of virility. Polonius in Shakespeare
‘s Hamlet declares “When the age is in
The wit is out”.
Yet many studies conducted show that while the elderly brain
works differently from that of young people, it is as effective when it comes
to decision-making. It is believed that once past the age of 25, age becomes
subjective – one is as young as one feels. In a report David Robson writes “‘subjective
age’ may be essential for understanding the reasons that some people appear to
flourish as they age – while others fade”.
It always
intrigued me that when my father spoke of childhood memories, it was as if he
was that young person again rather than recalling a distant memory. This can be a source of anguish. The scientist
Lewis Wolpert wrote “How can a seventeen-year-old like me suddenly be
eighty-one?” Sigmund Freud was shocked
when he realized that the elderly
gentleman he saw, was in fact his own
reflection. T.S. Eliot’s J Alfred Prufrock
laments “I am old… I am old…” and Thomas Hardy wrote in anguish “ I look
into my glass,/And view my wasting skin,/And say, ‘Would God it came to pass/My
heart had shrunk as thin!’
This anguish has been imposed on the elderly by society that
uses terms like “retirement”, requiring them to step aside to make room for the
next generation. It’s a phenomenon of a modern economy driven society. In many
societies the elderly have a constructive role, especially for grandchildren as
a bridge between their heritage and their future. The Native American elders
are the decision makers, the South Asian have a prominent place in the family
and community, as they do in Japan, China and almost all African and Eastern
societies. In martial arts and yoga, age increases power.
There is a growing movement to restore the cultural space of
the elderly. The UN has started celebrating the International Day of Older
Persons to acknowledge the contributions to society made by those over 60. One
should remember that many of the elderly today were the fiery rebels of the
60s. The geographer and historian, Jared Diamond, suggests that the usefulness
of the elderly in society determines the respect and value they are given. In
1905 the life expectancy was 49 years, today it is 78. After retirement from
work, a person can expect almost twenty years more of a productive life.
Fortunately, in
creative fields there is no retirement. Poets, writers and artists continue to
produce as long as their Muse inspires them.
Durriya Kazi
May 13, 2019
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