How Old is Old?
A Facebook meme says, “Old is ten years older than I am.” In other words, what is old is a matter of the perspective used to look at it. The Oxford Dictionary’s list of definitions of this adjective is long. The first one, “having lived a long time; no longer young,” applies to living things. There is also the idea that something is tiresome and belongs to the past.
Anyone young in the fifties, sixties, or seventies is shocked to find how many things they have owned are now considered antiques or retro. In twenty-five years, everything produced in the last century will be antique. Technological advances, including materials, energy, agriculture, and medicine, occur so rapidly that ten years will make something old.
Like most words that make up our vocabulary when we start the fourth grade, old is not specific enough to be useful when we try to give a more accurate picture of something or someone. Unless it refers to a valuable or historical object, place, or idea, it has a negative connotation.
Instead of using the general word ‘old’, we need to think more precisely about how functional something, especially someone, is. We may be reluctant to be specific because critical thinking brings us to the uncomfortable examination of uselessness or even death. Humans know these two concepts exist, but we often avoid thinking about them.
Death can happen at any time. I personally fear uselessness more than death. After volunteering with a hospice program, I was able to think of death without anxiety. However, most of us do not want to think of ourselves as useless. In fact, we are prone to speak of others as (more) useless so that we can compare ourselves favorably.
The hippie generation had a saying, “Don’t trust anyone over thirty!”. After a certain age, our new doctor looks like a kid. Veterans often see mid-career or later military members as unbelievably young. I attended an aging conference in my forties and learned a cautionary tale. One report on nursing home volunteers concluded that visitors who were contemporaries of the residents were guilty of treating residents pathetically.
When the subject of aging is brought up in the public arena, all the negatives I’ve pointed out come into play. The Society of Civil Engineers has graded the Nation’s infrastructure for two decades or more. Their research has found that our public works need repair and replacement. It can be hard to believe. From the Great Depression forward, public building projects have been robust. However, the earliest of that effort will soon be a hundred years old. Water treatment and sewers can date from the turn of the last century. We are dismayed that we must pay for the same things again. Isn’t there a time when we won’t have to pay taxes to build things?
Let’s look at the current discussion about the age of our Nation’s leaders. Even though I repeatedly hear, “Fifty is the new 40 (or 30)”, we seem to have a problem thinking that eighty is the new sixty. We have two candidates who have outlived the life expectancy when they were born. Political propagandists are making a significant issue of their age and mental capacity.
Neither one of the candidates can change the fact that they are wrinkled and (naturally) bald. Biden’s stiff-legged walk despite frequent bicycle rides shows that arthritis ends flexibility. Dementia of any form is different than forgetfulness and distraction. Biden has controlled a stutter throughout his life, and anxiety plus a busy agenda of crises can cause strange verbal and cognitive gaffs for anyone, especially a stutterer.
Governments require mentally stable and experienced officeholders. Youthful energy is appealing, but executives need wisdom and resolute moral purpose. Biden has years of experience navigating the competing interests necessary for a democratic bureaucracy. In contrast, Trump’s experience has only furthered his interests.
Biden may seem boring compared to the volatile Trump, but that’s what a reliable government looks like. No leader will completely satisfy everyone, but thoughtful, decisive decision-makers are worthy of our trust.
Old is measured by numbers past. New numbers have yet to come. Young people have current ideas.