Fighting aging is like trying to control the weather, the moon, the sun, or the stars. Nature will always win. Considering this, wouldn’t it make more sense if society celebrated aging instead of shunned it? I’m not implying that we should all let ourselves go as we age, but what about changing our perspective toward it? Western society seems to focus almost entirely on the negatives of getting older, which overshadows the many positives.
There are pros and cons with everything, including aging. Old age does make us more physically vulnerable, and it’s true that we aren’t as aesthetically attractive as we were when we were younger. But all of that is focused on the body. What about life experience and the resulting wisdom? Learning compassion and having a more open heart? Becoming more accepting? And last but not least, as the body ages and we find it harder to rely on the way it looks for our identity, aging is also a wonderful opportunity for spiritual growth.
All I’m saying is that if western society would start respecting the elderly more for what they have learned and what they can teach instead of only focusing on the negatives, the world would be a better place.
The Way I See It 