When I was in junior high school, it wasn’t cool to be uncool. Back then, acne wasn’t cool and being an old person wasn’t cool. Like today, people got judged by their appearance. If you were somehow blemished or wrinkled or weak, you were often made to feel ashamed or uncomfortable. Or you made yourself feel that way. Or you became invisible.
I remember days I didn’t want to go out in public, let alone go to school, because of acne on my face. And at that time of my life, the last thing I wanted was to be an old person — everybody knew young was good and old was bad. I’m not saying being judged by one’s appearance has changed completely today, but I have been noticing some differences.
The other day, my granddaughter came home from middle school with a small blue star on her forehead. This star was medicinal, meant to heal as well as cover. As we chatted about wearing this star to school, she told me that classmates regularly show up with colored stars all over their faces — the opposite of hiding. Instead of students being ashamed of acne, these stars have become an appreciated fashion statement. How wonderful!
Last month, the World Health Organization launched the new WHO Ageism Scale: a set of extensively tested metrics designed to monitor ageism levels worldwide, illuminate its drivers and consequences, and evaluate the impact of interventions aimed at reducing ageism. So, as far as “old is bad, young is good,” there have definitely been some changes worldwide.
Ageism is becoming less acceptable. Might we ever become proud of being an older person?
Locally, this monthly Conscious Aging column here in the Wednesday Journal is an example of some changing attitudes, or at least of some changing awareness about ageism. And perhaps changing invisibility.
By the way, this is my 100th Conscious Aging column. Thank you to Ken Trainor, my editor, and to Dan Haley, the publisher, for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts and feelings over the past eight years. And thanks to all of you who bother to read what I write.
On another topic …
Kudos to Anan Abu-Taleb for his column in last week’s Viewpoints. Kudos for his ability to think and write so clearly about a topic of such emotion. Kudos for taking such a reasoned stand on one of the most important issues of our time. He’s right: acts of hate will not bring us peace. As I read his brave and strong condolences to all who knew and loved Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, I felt proud of his leadership.
And then in the next paragraph, when I learned of his own recent, extraordinary personal losses to senseless killing in Gaza, I was amazed by his empathy.
Empathy to know and to feel that Yaron and Sarah were somebody’s sister/brother or daughter/son or niece/nephew or grandchild, not just an object or a label. That kind of public empathy is in short supply today.
Thank you, Anan.