Ageing And Some Stray Thoughts - Journal Day 13
Man has always dreamt of achieving immortality, though it might not be possible scientifically, at least in the coming few decades. Increased life expectancy is just a step forward towards that goal.
I am standing on the threshold of old age and knocking on the door of my life’s winter. This is a new and novel realisation for me. Despite aging progressively every year, we do not always feel the burden of age. We realise we are ageing as we see our contemporaries aging. Most of my contemporaries are vacating space for the young as they are retiring or have already retired from work or active duties. Some are becoming victims of diseases related to old age.
Knowing I am getting old and accepting the fact are not the same. One’s biological age and how one feels are not congruent. There appears to be a dichotomy between how my body feels and acts and how I feel inside my soul. While my body indicates it has aged, my mind does not readily realise it. My movements have become slower recently. I cannot function as efficiently as before unless I have had at least 7-8 hours of sleep the previous night. I become tired faster and recover more slowly from common ailments like coughs and colds, and I am less patient with people’s stupidity. Recently, I must admit, I have been forgetting things. But this might be one of the boons of aging. What is the point of remembering things that, in any case, we are better off forgetting?
All these are telltale signs of age. Yet, somehow, my mind still likes to believe that I have not aged. As it was during my callow youth, I still feel confused and uncertain about most things, even at this age. Isn’t it funny?
Some become victims of cynicism as they age. They develop a pessimistic worldview, as if nothing good will happen again. Their past is always glorious, the present is perpetually gloomy, and the future is dismal. They live in nostalgia, perpetually denying anything good at present and fearful of the future. Luckily, and to my great relief, I am not yet afflicted with this mental disease. And, I hope, I shall never be. I still feel hopeful in situations where my old, prudent self may dictate otherwise. Sometimes, my naivety baffles me.
I am not sure every aging person experiences similar feelings - the nagging thought that time is running out. Recently, I heard that one of my cousins is suffering from an early onset of prostate cancer and needs to go through a surgical procedure to treat the cancer. We are the same age. I googled it and learned that prostate cancer is a disease that primarily affects the elderly. The average age of diagnosis of prostate cancer is 66 years, and it is rare in men below 40. It dawned on me that I have reached old age, as the age difference between my cousin and me is just 6 months.
Also, the news of my contemporaries, old school & college friends, or their spouses dying is no longer a surprise. I must admit and face the fact that this kind of news will be more frequent as time passes. I have to learn to live with this fact. A decade or two ago, there was a joke among our extended family members and cousins that we met more often in the burning ghat than anywhere else as elderly members of the previous generation of our family passed away one by one. In a few years, our next generation will meet more in the burning ghat as we, family members of our generation, pass on one by one. Life comes in a full circle.
Aging does not mean that I need to seclude myself from social activities. Fact is, I have plenty of company. The proportion of the population over sixty is growing in almost every part of the world. Approximately 20% of the population in high-income countries is older than 65, and that portion is expected to double by 2050. In India, where I am from, 149 million people are aged 60 and above, representing 10.5% of the total population. This is expected to double by 2050. The life expectancy in 1900 was around 31-32 years. We have made significant progress since those days. The present life expectancy is around 71-72 years.
An aging population is a challenge to society. The challenge arises from the significant increase in life expectancy due to advancements in medicine and improved healthcare. Modern medicine and healthcare are expensive to deliver as people age, but not all can afford it.
Any advancement in science has both positive and negative effects on society. This balance between positive and negative benefits in any social change is an arduous equilibrium to achieve. Social media is a great example. When the dust settles, it will not be easy to demonstrate how much society has gained from social media despite the benefits it offers. The same may be true for the advances in medical science and healthcare that have helped humans increase life expectancy in recent years.
Man has always dreamt of achieving immortality, though it might not be possible scientifically, at least in the coming few decades. Significant research funding and scientific effort are being invested in this field. Increased life expectancy is just a step forward towards that goal. But how much society will gain is a moot question. As things stand now, society faces considerably more problems than gains.
The main challenge is that the aging population stops earning a livelihood. As the population ages, the proportion of young individuals able to participate in economic activities decreases, while the number of elderly citizens not engaged in economically gainful activities increases. Society must have resources and infrastructure to care for the elderly citizens who have stopped contributing economically. Society must prioritise allocating healthcare resources for seniors.
Another problem society faces due to increased life expectancy is increased inequality. Advancements in science initially benefit the wealthy before reaching the less fortunate. This is even true for affluent countries in the global north and west. In economically advanced countries like the UK, where the state provides healthcare for everyone, there is a 10-year life expectancy disparity between the rich and the poor. In the United States of America, things are worse. On average, the wealthiest individuals live about 15 years longer than those in the poorest demographics. This disparity increased between 2001 and 2014.1
There is a disparity in life expectancy between white-collar workers and blue-collar workers. Not only are the working conditions of white-collar workers better than those of blue-collar workers, but their income is also higher. The inequality is exacerbated by the substantial rise in health care costs as people age. The poor and blue-collar workers may not be able to benefit from longer life expectancy, as sustaining good health takes substantial economic resources, which they might not have. In India, a significant portion of the workforce is employed in the unorganised sector, where they do not get long-term financial and social benefits. Maintaining good health during advanced age is unsustainable for most. Long life expectancy can become a curse for them.
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I am in my early 60s now, and considering the current trend for the population from my socio-economic group, I may safely presume that I still have 15 plus good years ahead of me. I am also genetically lucky. Members of both of my parents’ families live long. Both my grandfathers lived beyond their 80 years. My father lived beyond 86 years. My uncles and aunts, from both my father’s and mother’s side, also lived long. My mother is still going strong at 90-plus. Bless her soul.
The saying “40 is the old age of youth, 50 is the youth of old age” is attributed to French writer and dramatist Victor Hugo. While this may have been true a hundred years ago, the more accurate saying now should be, “60 is the youth of old age”. So I have stepped into the youth of my old age.
There is no reason the coming years cannot resemble our youth, filled with events and adventures. The time has come to reap the harvest of the seeds we have sown. This is the time to relax and try new things. I am at that age when no one expects anything from us. I am free to be myself. The pressure of performance, of achievement, is behind me now.
I am like a tail-ender batsman in a five-day cricket test match. No one expects the tail-ender batter to do much. Their only job is to stay put on the crease as long as possible without losing their wickets and play each ball as it comes.
I intend to do just that. What and how I do it is a story for another day.
This is as written in the book Why We Die by Venki Ramakrishnan. Page 223.
Ageing is natural yet you brought out very well how many others feeling similarly. Let us live life fully, gracefully, admiring every little nice things.