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Transcending Youth, Part Three

This is the third installment in our series, Transcending Youth.  See Part One and Part Two.

Cultures and societies assign a kind of sanctity to some institutions and ideas. We educate children in a certain way, we have established work patterns and ethics and we have institutionalized and even idealized (invisible) aging and retirement.

Forced or otherwise, retirement has literally destroyed the lives of countless Americans. As we grow older as a nation and society and live healthier and longer lives, retirement removes some of the valuable human capital from the pool of useful wisdom and insight. Capable people are taken out of the race, and their hard earned experience and assets are wasted. This is nothing short of a human, cultural and social disaster. Younger people learn that if society will not assign great value to the potential of the aging, why should they? If our culture regards older people as a burden, is it any surprise that people who worship the appearance of youth will feel burdened and overwhelmed in the presence of older people? Our parents can only serve as a painful reminder of what is to come- and a reminder that we cannot overcome nature, no matter how tightly we shut our eyes or how many times we click our heels in fervent wishing. We too will age. No wonder parents and grandparents are relegated to nursing homes and elder care facilities. Out of sight, out of mind.

How we have come to treat our older citizens is the 800 lb gorilla that no one wants to talk about. How do begin to address the issue? How do we deal with what has become a human, cultural and societal problem? The answers are not so evident. The only thing for sure is that there is no one size fits all when it comes to dealing with aging or retired Americans any more than there is a one size fits all solution for any other big social problem. With the reality of living longing and healthier lives, it is clear that we need to address how we integrate aging and retirement into our new realities. This process is evolutionary. Those societies who redefine aging and retirement will progress. Those who do not will fall behind. Experienced human capital cannot be ignored or neglected any more than can future generations.

Redefining aging and retirement must have two components. There must be a concerted effort to change current practices, customs and beliefs of the cultural value system that serves as the foundation and we have to address how older and retired persons see themselves and their place and value in society. Older people must be in an obstacle free, cultural environment where they are free to continue to make contributions to society.

Business, media and political attitudes must change. When that happens, our culture and society will reflect that change. The other side of that coin is equally balanced. The self perception of older people (and anyone who is is experiencing life passages) must change as well. They need to believe they are not useless and in fact are a tremendous appreciating asset, by way of their wisdom and experience. Aging and retirement serve to liberate people from the punch clock life. The opportunities to serve and find new outlets for the wisdom, creativity and experiences of a lifetime are spectacular. Older people can change the world we live in and make it a better place.

The institutions that we have established to serve the needs of older people must be redefined. Day care for adults is most often no more than non stimulating activities that merely pass time for adults. While those kind of institutions may serve the needs of some, it is clear that there is an ever growing population of older people who want and need to do something contributory and productive with their lives.

Colleges and universities can make classes and courses free or of little cost to older Americans. The benefits to young students sharing a classroom with older Americans too numerous to mention. Older students can challenge professors and teachers with ideas and observations born of experience. Younger students could only benefit from the wisdom shared in the classroom. More importantly, integrating older people with young students can only serve to benefit society as a whole. Young people who integrate their older peers are less likely to see them as ‘valueless’ or ‘irrelevant.’ Wisdom and insight have a profound effect on how we see our world and how we integrate new ideas. There is a reason teachers influence students and when it is all said and done, you can never have too many teachers. Older students have a real thirst and hunger for knowledge (it isn’t as if they have to be in school). Their enthusiasm for learning can only serve as a lifelong good example.

Our last installment will posted on Friday.