Ageing and wisdom

Nowadays older people are perceived as stuffed animals that should last as long as possible even to the detriment of the quality of life.

A good friend of mine (Max Monti) often reminds me that it’s not that growing older equals to being wiser, it’s simply that one is physically forced to be more conscious in order to survive. That is, if you’re older and lead the same lifestyle as you led in your twenties, you risk to burn the candle extremely fast.

I tend to agree with him although, when I look around, I see a good chunk of today’s 20/30 something doesn’t have half of the spirit Max has, but this is something that hasnothing to do with this post.

Today, ageing is seen as a terrible misfortune and I personally struggle to understand why, since I feel much better now than I did 30 years ago. I believe that every age has positive things: During the adolescence and a little longer we enjoy the world spinning around at great speed, while later on we enjoy things that we could not “feel” before. Wisdom has really nothing to do with it, it’s only a physical matter.

Of course, it also down to how we age. Nowadays, elderly people are perceived as stuffed animals that should last as long as possible even to the detriment of the quality of life. It is disguised as compassion but in truth, keeping the elderly just about alive, it’s a big business for multinationals and not only for them. I am convinced that no one should live beyond the limit of self-sufficiency. Elderly should never be treated as damaged goods, and they should never allow anyone to treat them as such. Those who age should always keep fit because if they don’t they won’t not survive and thanks to this independency from others, those who age will be able to maintain the dignity that the dependency from others would make them lose. I understand that the idea of not doing the best and everything possible for the survival of those you love seems a barbaric thought but honestly, I think it is barbaric what happens now. I believe that we should respect more the nature of things and be aware that everything and everyone has its own life expectancy just as it happens in the animal world.

I love life and because of this, I expect from myself that when it becomes clear to me that I can no longer be self-sufficient I will not allow anyone to make me survive.