Aging Deliberately

All of us want to live a long time, but no one wants to grow old. With blinders on, we march through life pretending we’ll always be the way we are today. The funny thing about human beings in this era of great longevity is that we think everybody else is aging — but not ourselves! It’s always the other guy. I’ll stay young while you grow old.

Denial leads to inaction, and inaction leads to calamity when — surprise! — most of us will get old, and many will become incapacitated, some for years. The trouble is, we don’t know who, when, or for how long.

Aging deliberately requires us to take a new look at the aging process, becoming aware of our choices and planning for them, then taking steps while we’re healthy that will allow us to age on our own terms. Only when we face our aging squarely and plan for it will we have some control over what happens to us — and all the possibilities.