It is very fitting to start my new blog on Contemplations on Active Aging with Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986) and her wonderfully courageous discussion on Old Age or Coming of Age, depending of which edition one reads, at a time when the age was a taboo subject and the attitude of the general population was very ‘ambivalent’ towards it.
Fast-forward 40 years to 2012! The dramatic aging of the world population has focused everybody on discussing the issues of how to cope with the rising older generations in the local, national and global level. All of a sudden Simone de Beauvoir’s words have great meaning. Now, most people struggling to service the aging population are interested. There is great wisdom in de Beauvoir’s conclusion of the book for our situation, where the attitude to aging is shifting from reactive to preventative and from non-attention to being prepared. She writes:
“There is only one solution if old age is not to be an absurd parody of our former life, and that is to go on pursuing ends that give our existence a meaning – devotion to individuals, to groups and to causes, social, political, intellectual or creative work. ...in old age we should still to have passions strong enough to prevent us turning in upon ourselves. One’s life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others, by means of love, friendship, indignation, compassion.” (p.601)
My interpretation of her message encourages each and everyone to concentrate in being as mentally active as possible, as prepared as we are challenged and as happy about it as we can. According to her it is hard to recognise when the old age hits but it is sure that we know when it does.
In this blog I want to discuss positive and active ways to aging in gracefulness and dignity. It is as the recent older client to the Day Respite Centre where I work at said when a performer asked the client group if they liked ‘up beat music’. She answered: “The age is in the exterior and not in the interior, of cause we do!”
Reference:
Simone de Beauvoir (1970), Old Age, Penguin Books
Useful Links:
Art Kunkin’s review of the book (Coming of Age)
http://desertstarweekly.com/2011/10/14/the-coming-of-age-by-simone-de-eauvoir-a-book-review/Art Kunkin’s review of the book (Coming of Age)
