Age Is Life.

By Karen and Erica

We wrote a post a little while ago about terminology for age, including a Japanese system starting with pre-old. We do think it is a good idea to understand that everyone over 65 is not the same, as an age matter. Being 65 is not the same as being 95. But we found it amusing that in Japan one tumbles quickly from being pre-old to being late stage elderly. How silly, we thought.

Then by accident, we saw this, in the Code of Federal Regulations addressing the Social Security Administration:

(c) Younger person. If you are a younger person (under age 50), we generally do not consider that your age will seriously affect your ability to adjust to other work. …

(d) Person closely approaching advanced age. If you are closely approaching advanced age (age 50-54), we will consider that your age along with a severe impairment(s) and limited work experience may seriously affect your ability to adjust to other work.

(e) Person of advanced age. We consider that at advanced age (age 55 or older), age significantly affects a person’s ability to adjust to other work… .

You’re kidding! Being 50-54 might seriously affect your ability to adjust? And 55 and up is advanced age?

And then there’s a recent article in the FT, entitled How older women defy evolutionary logic (paywall), that expresses bafflement at the fact that women remain alive after they are no longer able to bear children. Because, after all, if a person has no function why should that person remain alive?

What???

Since we are of the view that, in our 70s, we are still quite functional, have a great deal to offer, and have adapted quite well to the modern world and the internet and all that, we think we should continue to stay alive, as long as we’re having fun and finding purpose. We are older than we were, since we’re still here, but we don’t feel 75 is really late stage elderly. Or any kind of elderly.

These characterizations seems to reflect a complete lack of understanding that age is not what it once was, when life expectancy was much shorter than today and women were seen primarily as the sex that kept the human race going. For what that’s worth.

Now, people do not become old at 55 or 75 any more—unless they choose to do so. Women, at least, think 70 is the new 50. When money isn’t an issue, women expect to live their best lives in their 70s. They travel like they did when they were much younger, but more often. They are more physically adept—though in this country these benefits are not as evenly distributed as they are in other countries.

The later-born group could walk faster, had a stronger hand grip and could exert more force with their lower leg. Such metrics are reliable predictors of disability and mortality. On cognitive tests, the later cohort had better verbal fluency (naming more words beginning with a K in three minutes), clocked faster reaction time on a complex finger-movement task, and scored higher on a test matching numbers to symbols.

Nevertheless, younger generations are apparently pathological fearful of wrinkles, says a recent Financial Times article (paywall). The author reports that women—even girls—are getting Botox treatments younger and younger. And then she complains about role models like Jennifer Lopez, who is 54, but looks 30, suggesting that these role models are remaking childhood for girls. In fact, of course, Jennifer Lopez looks 54. That is what 54 looks like in 2024. (Admittedly, it looks better if you start with great beauty and follow up with great wealth, but still.) Those lucky enough to have had mothers for a long time will observe that they do not look or act like their grandmothers at the same age. Nor will we.

The rest of the world needs to get with the program. Why? Because thinking that 55 is the beginning of the end of of a person’s usefulness leads to (at least) two major fallacies:

• Those of us older than 65 will bring down society because we are needy and greedy. We are actually still quite capable, and have much to offer younger people——unless younger people force us out of the mix, and waste our talents, because they are too fearful to look at us as we are. That’s on them.

• Age is to be feared. On the contrary, staying alive—i.e. getting older—is a blessing, not a disease to be avoided. Death is far more terminal.

So let’s lead by example. Let’s show ourselves, and everyone else, what 60, 70, 80, 90 looks like. Stylish! Energetic! Smart! Resourceful! Helpful! And happy to be who and where we are.

Happy New Year!