Don't call me "old"

18/06/2008

Last October the Mature Times' website asked readers over 50 "what they really, really, want". I say never mind the over 50s, what about the over 60s, over 70s (I am almost 72), over 80s and even the 90s and 100s - whose numbers are increasing every year? Many 'wants' and not a few fantasies have been listed in your reader's responses, but in my view the most serious one is not to be considered old.

 

Age is relevant to each person, and it is as much about our thought processes as any number of years. There are still far too many people who think that retirement equals doing nothing. The reasons behind this relate to parents and other relatives who have already died, most of whom did seem to be too old to carry on. It is not the past that we should be looking at, but into the future where the possibilities are increasing as each year goes by.

 

Some scientists have already stated that we should expect a lifespan of 150 years, in which case I am only now approaching middle age. I have always tried to keep active and have due regard for all my bodily functions - except the inevitable scrapes and minor injuries from childhood - but the most important function is the brain. Use it or lose it is paramount for this function, as without our brains functioning properly all the rest becomes problematic. This does not overlook all those who have fallen victim to dementia and other brain malfunctions; the research being done on these terrible diseases should be given much more attention and funding, not just to ease the burden on our NHS.

 

I believe that stretching our imaginations is the start of using our brains to good effect. Imagination leads to curiosity, exploration and, amazingly, to much satisfaction. This is not about money, but more about delving into matters never before considered. One obvious example here is the increasing number of people who have taken to computing at ages when the thought of doing a specific evening learning course would be of no interest.

 

Before they realise it they have acquired skills they never knew they would have - and a whole new world has been opened up.

 

Throughout most working lives that childlike imagination that we all had has been subsumed by the demands of every day life where time has been one of the most pressing demands. Now we can feel released from most of those demands and regain time to use our brains for our future. The future is bright and getting brighter every year (apart from matters such as the economy which we should cease to worry about anyway as there is nothing we can do about it individually), so we should set ourselves the task to look closer at that brightness, and imagine what more may be just around the corner and how we may include it, in part if not in whole, in our future.

 

There has never been a better time to be alive - and we should all be making the most of it.

 

 

Peter Bray