As more and more people are reaching the 100-year-old mark and the old age range of ‘65 and above’, the old age population has never been as healthy and active as today. Compared to the life expectancy during the 1940’s, society today has advanced in medical sciences and government health policies, making it seem normal for us to even meet our great-grandchildren.
However, because of some reports in society, we’ve been hearing a lot of beliefs or should I say myths about old age that create negative stereotypes. We hear psycho-emotional complaints about loneliness, sadness and of meaninglessness. On the physical aspect, we hear complaints of general weakness, decline and even loss of the senses. Socially, the old age population is perceived by people as excess baggages, nuisances, or even burdens to the very family which they raised. Society has created the model on how people should see old age. It became the age we all dread living into.
If you’re still not convinced, ask some people around: ‘how old do you want to live?’ Sadly, most of them would give a range from 70 to 80; some would even wish to depart as early as 65. Clearly, a lot of us are robbed of happiness in old age because of existing societal beliefs.
Although old age is met by physical declines, we don’t necessarily have to helplessly accept all the myths. After all, if the fear and negative emotions towards old age sprouted from our perceptions which were simply propagated by societal myths, we can also enter old age equipped with our positive perceptions.
Old age is the longest stage of the life span and we need to live it fully rather than just go through it and get it over with. People talk and plan about old age as if it’s something we should dread. Is it really? What if I tell you that the happiest and most meaningful moments a person can experience is found in old age? It is during old age where ‘true love’ between couples emerges. How meaningful can a 1st year wedding anniversary be as compared to the 50th year anniversary? Moreover, how meaningful is an ‘I love you’ from a 25-year-old spouse as compared to the ‘I love you’ from a fully mature and wiser 60-year-old spouse?
I am not just talking about marriage and relationships. Meaning in old age can come from various sources. The ones who gained wisdom over the years become more active in church life and they reap the rewards by becoming happier and they end up living longer! (Stibich, 2008 on Religion Improves Health; BBC News 4th April 2006: Going to church may extend life) Some retired people I know have experienced a sudden explosion in their creativity and they soon discover latent talents in them such as painting, building furniture, gardening and even raising fishes. Some find the freedom in old age as the window to pursue their childhood dreams that have been frustrated and delayed because of their young adult’s work and family demands.
Old age is the time where real love blossoms and real life manifests. Old age is the age when trivial things such as material riches come to nothing and meaningful things such as our daily existence are multiplied in our lives. It is the time when we can fully appreciate what we have always neglected as immature young adults: a stroll in the park, a simple hug from a stranger, or even a 5-minute phone conversation with our love ones. Old age is a time for deeper meaning; it is a time for mature and therefore multiplied happiness. How we see old age right now is how we will experience it during our retirement days. Now, we can welcome it with a smile of anticipation, because old age is the age in the life that really matters.
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