I have been thinking about the process of growing older for a long
time. In my 30s, I discovered I had all sorts of stereotypes about old
people (which for me at that age was anyone over 60) and that most of
my notions were just plain wrong. For example, I learned though
conversations with a number of older friends that most people aren’t
afraid to die after a certain point—but they are afraid to die without having left a mark or without having been able to
Old Folks’ Day
Happy IDOP everyone! Oh, you didn’t know that the United Nations
implemented October 1st as the International Day of Older Persons 16
years ago? Well, it’s true. Lots of information available online about
the UN Program on Ageing. The opening remark by the Secretary General pretty well sums up what it is all about.
"I am only one of 600 million persons in the world over the age of
60. As people across the globe come to live increasingly
Connections
By Shae Hadden
Bio
I’ve always been aware of the distances between people…ever since my
first childhood remembrance of being a being separate from my mother.
Vivid memories of being the last one chosen to be on the team in gym
class translated into a story about being the one assigned to sit on
the sidelines of life while others got to play. I thought I had left
that all behind when I got married at the ripe old age of 28. I was
ready to dive in and live full
Choosing Age
I’ve asked a lot of people how old they would be if they really had a choice. In a recent essay entitled Complaint and the Blind Men,
Laurence Platt, who writes from his experience of Werner Erhard’s work,
wrote about the idea of choice as a creative act as opposed to a
conclusion based on some analytical reasoning. The message is that
happiness is the result of choosing ‘what is’, what some disciplines
call ‘profound acceptance’ or ‘surrender’.
There
aren’t many areas of
Old isn’t Elder
The word “Elder” is becoming the vogue term for people over 60 or,
in some cases, even younger. I think it is a mistake as well as
inaccurate to make “Elder” synonymous with having reached a certain
age. First of all, being an Elder is a role, not a fact of biology.
Moreover, it is a role that exists in the context of community. The
word itself distinguishes a relationship between the Elder and members
of their community.
I see several criteria that must be met before one can assume the
Anti-Age Laws
The BBC recently ran a piece on new anti-age discrimination laws
in the UK. Although anti-age discrimination laws aren’t new in the USA,
the statistics show that, while age is on the same list with sexual
preference, race, gender and the handicapped, the practices that limit
opportunity for people
Elderhood
On Friday I had the pleasure of listening to a speaker in his late
60s articulate a compelling and challenging scenario for all of us to
get very serious about our choices and our role in the world in coming
years. David Korten, a fellow with an impressive pedigree of worldly
accomplishments and currently board chair of YES! Magazine,
wove a number of familiar themes of coming disaster—peak oil, climate
Beginning
I guess everything starts somewhere. This is my first ‘blog’. I’m
still getting used to the local jargon in these here parts. I see the
‘blogosphere’ as the perfect place to share my ideas about age and
aging.
Actually, this isn’t the beginning of my interest in and commitment
to do something about the culture of aging that we all share. It has
been a kind of hobby of mine for a long time. And now, as I approach
65, it has become more of a mission.
I
am clear that, in North America
Serenity
By Shae Hadden
Bio
At the starting point to serenity.
Send Us Your Pictures
Have you taken a photo that captures the essence of ‘growing older’ in a positive light?
If so, we’d love to talk with you.
We’re committed to filling this site with images that demonstrate ‘growing older’ can be a beautiful process and that people can be enlivened and inspiring at any age. If you’d like to share your photo(s) with us, please fill out the Comment area below with your name, email address and a brief description of the photo(s) you’d