Thoughts On Growing Old

[Foxfyre]

I turned into my mother. That is not a compliment. The older I get, the grumpier I get. And the grumpier I get, the more I stay buried away from people. If I don't kick by 75 and I can still use my hands, I will do it myself. The world sucks and I flat don't want to be here any more. I refuse to be taken care of by strangers in some state run old folks home wallowing in my own piss. Oh hayell no. Ain't gonna happen.

I can see the sense of this on an intellectual level but then I've actually seen plenty of people dying and most every single one of them didn't want to die. Even with suicidal people, there is suicidal ideation and there is getting down to business and for the ones who really want to die rather than using suicide as a cry for help, I just can't see that last minute of life being easy. This is why I think the euthanasia movement is growing, people want someone to kill them with mercy because they just can't bring themselves to do it.

Sorry if this is going way off topic.

It isn't off topic at all because one of the aspects of growing old is the increasing realization that we are not invincible, not immortal, and we are most likely closer to our death than we are to our birth. And we do start to think about a time that we won't be able to be fully independent and how we want to manage that. What will we do with ourselves? Do we have enough money put back to sustain us for the long haul? Will we outlive our support resources and be all alone?--that is a fear of my aunt, age 87, who is in better shape than most of us and really fears that she will outlive all of us. And what comes next?

But the bottom line is that the will to live is strong and it does not lessen as we get older. I am not an educator by profession but have had opportunity to teach a few specialized subjects over the years. And I was teaching a religion class one time when I asked my class of about 50 people, "Who wants to go to heaven?" Everybody raised their hands. The next question: "Who thinks it will be a better place?" Everybody raised their hands. The next question: "Who wants to go right now?" Nobody raised their hands.

Those of you who are not religious may attribute it correctly to human nature, but I think it was the good Lord's intent that we all have a will to live--that appreciation for life at any age that sees us through whatever we have to get through.

 

[Roadrunner]

It happens to all of us. The worst thing is not being able to do those things we did when we were young.

Don't worry, you will be shitting your diapers again soon enough!

; - )

 

[Roadrunner]

I turned into my mother. That is not a compliment. The older I get, the grumpier I get. And the grumpier I get, the more I stay buried away from people. If I don't kick by 75 and I can still use my hands, I will do it myself. The world sucks and I flat don't want to be here any more. I refuse to be taken care of by strangers in some state run old folks home wallowing in my own piss. Oh hayell no. Ain't gonna happen.

I can see the sense of this on an intellectual level but then I've actually seen plenty of people dying and most every single one of them didn't want to die. Even with suicidal people, there is suicidal ideation and there is getting down to business and for the ones who really want to die rather than using suicide as a cry for help, I just can't see that last minute of life being easy. This is why I think the euthanasia movement is growing, people want someone to kill them with mercy because they just can't bring themselves to do it.

Sorry if this is going way off topic.

It isn't off topic at all because one of the aspects of growing old is the increasing realization that we are not invincible, not immortal, and we are most likely closer to our death than we are to our birth. And we do start to think about a time that we won't be able to be fully independent and how we want to manage that. What will we do with ourselves? Do we have enough money put back to sustain us for the long haul? Will we outlive our support resources and be all alone?--that is a fear of my aunt, age 87, who is in better shape than most of us and really fears that she will outlive all of us. And what comes next?

But the bottom line is that the will to live is strong and it does not lessen as we get older. I am not an educator by profession but have had opportunity to teach a few specialized subjects over the years. And I was teaching a religion class one time when I asked my class of about 50 people, "Who wants to go to heaven?" Everybody raised their hands. The next question: "Who thinks it will be a better place?" Everybody raised their hands. The next question: "Who wants to go right now?" Nobody raised their hands.

Those of you who are not religious may attribute it correctly to human nature, but I think it was the good Lord's intent that we all have a will to live--that appreciation for life at any age that sees us through whatever we have to get through.

I remember well the day I tore my Invincible Man-suit.

 

[Foxfyre]

Just saw this one and thought it appropriate for this thread

 

[Bill Angel]

Just saw this one and thought it appropriate for this thread

 

[September]

I can't imagine growing old. I suppose I'll cross that bridge someday when I get to it, lest I somehow defy old age through dying young.
​

 

[Foxfyre]

I can't imagine growing old. I suppose I'll cross that bridge someday when I get to it, lest I somehow defy old age through dying young.
​

It is usually considered a tragedy when one fails to live out his/her presumed allotted number of years. When the old die, the common phrase is "We'll miss him/her but s/he lived a good long life." You don't hear such phrases at the remembrance services for the young.

But I've definitely crossed the bridge already and am happy to report that, while 'old age' has its challenges, you will appreciate living it and won't want to hasten through it any more than you wish to hasten through your youth. In other words, the will to live and find what enjoyment out of life is available to us is just as strong at every age.

 

[Bill Angel]

This arrangement of doors was a Halloween decoration.

My five biggest fears: not being able to walk , losing my memories, being mugged, getting cancer, dying alone.
An interesting article on this subject in Psychology Today: The Only 5 Fears We All Share

 

[Foxfyre]

Well that seem to call for this