Dr Sherwin Nulands last book focused on “How We Die”, but I like the sound of his new one better. The “Art Of Aging” deals more with how to enjoy living longer, and I think we would all rather focus on that.
An interview by Jim Auchmutey in the Orlando Sentinel (April 29, 2007 shared some of Dr. Nulands thoughts on the human condition. Humans, he says, are the only animal capable of continuing to develop as they grow older. We can not only develop mentally and spiritually but we can improve our physical state of being. He adheres that the brain really does influence how we age. Contrary to the opinion that you were born with all of the brain cells that you are ever going to have, it seems that certain stem cells will produce new brain cells (especially in the thinking part of the brain) throughout your lifetime. The trick is that you have to stimulate them by using your intellect and challenging it. That part is up to you.
Taking care of your body is important but relationships or a sense of being needed and connected is even more important. He decries the search for youth and says that we should be searching for wisdom and maturity.
How we react to aging or anything else for that matter is based on our preconceptions. It is unfortunate that society has so many preconceptions about older people. It tends to infantilize them instead of treating them as individuals, each different in their own way. The concept of the classically aging older person no longer exists.
Education is fundamental. Each generation looks back at the previous one and gets its sense of what being elderly is from that. This picture is changing and will continue to change so will our expectations. This is a good thing and it is your responsibility to let the next generation know that you are right in the thick of things. Stop labeling yourself as old when inside you know that you are the same person you have always been.
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