May 6, 2012:

Ponderings of A PILGRIM Pastor

I can imagine some of those reading this Ponderings thinking to themselves, "Oh, no, not another "ism." Does every contemporary social concern have to be expressed like that?"

Of course not, and some aren’t. Homophobia, for instance. But I use the word because of a very helpful luncheon seminar I attended recently hosted by Janice Mynchenberg who served as Interim Pastor of Pilgrim before my arrival. It was held at the Summit View Retirement Home where Janice is Chaplain.

My clergy colleagues and I saw a helpful video on "Ageism — The Difference It Makes and What We Can Do To Overcome It." Years ago, President Kennedy noted: "Today we are wasting resources of incalculable value: the accumulated knowledge, the mature wisdom, the seasoned experience, the skilled capacities, and the productivity of a great and growing number of our people — our senior citizens.

Those are great words, and while I balk a bit at being called a "senior citizen," I know that I have arrived at that stage in my life. While I have not experienced it myself, I know that many older adults have had to deal with negative and inaccurate attitudes that were based solely on age.

There are five common myths associated with people of advanced age:

  1. They are lonely and depressed.
  2. They are rigid and unable to cope.
  3. They are similar and become more alike the older they get.
  4. They are sick, frail and dependent.
  5. They are generally "senile," impaired psychologically and cognitively.

We live in a culture that worships youth. (Have you noticed?!) Though we are urged to buy countless products and procedures to hide it, the fact is that we are all growing older. Will our future value only depend on how "youthful" we appear? Will we assume that as we grow older we will have less and less value to our society? That is really what "agism" implies: life is a diminishing return the older we get.

There are more and more ways we are learning how to maintain the quality of life for older folks. We are realizing more and more, as President Kennedy said, we are wasting a precious American resource when we do not recognize that mature age is "harvest time" for the wisdom all of us need no matter how young we may be.

Love,
Dave