2: Meaningful Aging

Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.

ISAIAH 46:4

IN THE GROCERY STORE RECENTLY, I watched middle-aged folks become frustrated to the point of anger with an elderly man who was having difficulty hearing how much he owed the cashier. The middle-aged folks became quite rude. It seemed they felt that the elderly man was a nuisance for keeping them from their productive lives.

Today, people live in the present, and life’s all about being productive. Older people are marginalized because they’re not valued in the present any longer. I was recently reading about ageism. The authors compared ageism to racism and pointed out that the elderly frequently experience discrimination.

I think about this man who was struggling at the cashier counter. I wonder about what roles he had in the past and how his experience must have changed over time. He is a person and deserves dignity and respect. He also deserves patience because now it takes him more time to hear and process what’s going on around him.

If we really are to care for and value older people, what countercultural thinking and steps do we need to take?

Here are six that come to mind.

  1. We need to rethink what productivity means.
  2. We need to look for opportunities to be productive in different ways.
  3. We need to have a sense of self-worth.
  4. We need to be able to express ourselves and tell our stories from the past. Younger people need to hear our stories.
  5. We need to set goals so we have a sense of purpose.
  6. We need to manage change. Many people struggle with change. Yet as we age, we are faced with increasing change.

Yes, aging is a progressive loss of capability, yet it is natural and can have meaning. God states that aging does have meaning and that He is always there for us on this journey.

Questions

  1. Why do you think western cultures push older people to the margins of society?
  2. How would you define ageism?
  3. How do we need to adapt to care for those who are older?
  4. How would you define meaningful aging?