A generation ago they defined their generation. You have only to look at
the latest AARP Magazine to know theyre still at it. Tell a Baby
Boomer theres nothing wrong with aging naturally and hell flash you
his whiter than Whitestrips smile. Aging is not an option in a society
that worships youth and looks right through its elders. Embracing the
myth of forever young and beautiful, our soon to be elders will not
remain as invisible as their forebears. Nor have they, collectively, saved
enough to retire as gracefully. Boomers will continue to pile up debt,
deny the laws of nature and enrich the lives of plastic surgeons.
Within You Without You
We all want to be attractive to
others; it makes us feel good about ourselves. But when we feel good
about ourselves on the inside, we dont have to worry about the outside.
Miraculously, the external shell takes care of itself by reflecting whats
inside. A generation ago the Beatles visited an Indian guru and brought
back with them the beginnings of a cultural revolution that today is, with
all the American accoutrements, a multi-billion dollar business. Could
the original intent somehow have gotten lost among the Ommms?
Old Friends
In other cultures, including Native American, elders are revered for their
character linesthose admirable symbols of wisdom gained from
fighting foreign wars, having babies, losing loved ones and starting
over. In focusing our ubiquitous digital lenses on the fountain of youth,
we have relegated elders to shadowy figures in the background. In our
enlightened information age, beauty is valued over substance and
information eclipses wisdom.
We know the brain consists of two separate structures, right and left. In
the January 16, 2006 issue of Newsweek Magazine, an article by
Gene Cohen, M.D., PH.D devotes considerable ink to the subject of the
brain. Unlike young adults who handle tasks with one side or the other,
says Cohen, Elders tend to use both hemispheres. The brain of a
mentally active 50-year-old looks like a dense forest of interlocking
branches, and this density reflects both deeper knowledge and better
judgment.
In his Bestselling book, Tuesdays With
Morrie, Mitch Albom writes about recurring visits with his old professor, the
sagacious Morrie. Anyone whos spent quality time with an elder can
relate. Yet, a disproportionate number of our elders languish in nursing
homes, and become the focus of jokes.
Three old guys are
out walking. First one says, Windy, isnt it? Second one says, No its
Thursday. Third one says, So am I. Lets go get a beer.
The Sound of Silence
In order to make sense of my
phone messages, I have to play them three or four times because they
sound like the Munchkins. The velocity of life today reminds me of a
1983 documentary of Phillip Glass called Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out Of
Balance. When I first saw this fascinating film I was disturbed by the
foretelling of a speeded-up world I could not imagine. Guess what? Its
here.
Bridge Over Troubled Waters
Hollywood celebs from my generation look today like they looked 30
years ago. Teenagers, some in my own family, manifest emotional
disorders and illnesses unheard of a generation ago. Men now have
their magic pill. Women hate their bodies. How has the anorexic young
American woman become the role model for millions? What is desirable
about a hank of hair and a bag of bones in or out of bed? Why do
paparazzi chase after a vacuous face with nothing to offer but a bare
belly holding a tiny dog?
But Wait. While our guys are dining
on MREs in what my generation called The Big Muddy, arent
we told were a junk food nation of overeating, overweight fatsos?
Thousands of how-to exercise and diet books are rushed to print by a
profit or perish publishing industry. Advertisers compete for costly space
to hawk the latest scientifically approved methods of losing all that fat.
Some of those same advertisers own the junk food companies who
sponsor the networks who bow to the corporations. So who are we, and
what exactly is the sum of all our parts?
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
As a people, weve always been the
most creative nation on earth. Whatever anyone else could do, we did it
first or better. That was then. The financial pundits tell us if were not in
the top ten percent, were mortgaging a home we cant afford; were
buying everything else on credit well never finish paying off.
Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?
When I was
growing up my family was considered middle class. Yet, as former Third
World countries become the new wealth, the American middle class is
disappearing. In the global economy, our marketplace is flooded with
inferior imports and we are in debt up to our eyeballs. For the sake of
beauty, possessions and the DOW, were forgetting who we are and
where we came from. For the sake of the bottom line of the upper ten
percent, we might be outsourcing the soul of a nation. But dont despair.
Once our elders follow John Wayne into the sunset, we wont know the
difference. Well be young and beautiful forever.
With great respect to Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, Elvis Presley, Paula
Cole, Pete Seeger and The Beatles
Simplicity-Courage-Wit-Soul
A former Foreign Service officer, Susan Scharfman is a writer/editor at
http://www.susanscharfman.com
