Ageing: How would you cope?

[Loki]

If there is one aspect of life that affects us all, whether we are rich or poor, white or non-white, healthy or ill, religious or non-religious, is that we will all grow older (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ageing) and eventually die one day. Our eventual demise has been sealed into our genes from the day we were born. The thought of this may be morbid, but it is a fact of life and something we will have to come to terms with.

Have you made peace with the fact that you will die one day?

Are you prepared emotionally to grow older and die one day?

Many elderly people find comfort in religion, especially since religion offers hope of a life after death. It is also comforting for old people to have a family that care about them -- therefore the burdens of raising children at a younger age do bear considerable fruit in later years. The childless probably suffer more lonely days during old age.

When my grandmother was 91 years old, she told me that she was bored with life, and wanted to die. She was always healthy. Some months later she died. I think this is the way I want to die as well: a life lived to the full, without illness and discomfort until the very end, until I decide I've had enough.

Your thoughts?

[Æmeric]

Have you made peace with the fact that you will die one day? No.


Are you prepared emotionally to grow older and die one day?No.

There is nothing you can do about getting older, it just happens. I guess it is relative. When I was 18 I thought of 25 as ancient. Now I so happy to report that 50 is the new 35.:thumb001:

As for dying I just can't imagine it. I guess at some point pass my 100th birthday (hopefully many years pass) I'll will dose off to sleep & never wake up.

So what brought on this thread Loki? Are you facing down the big 4-0?:scared:

[Loki]

So what brought on this thread Loki? Are you facing down the big 4-0?:scared:

It's not that I'm facing a mid-life crisis, but I have been philosophising about the inevitabilities of the future for some time.

Having said that, being 36 already makes me worry that life is going too fast. Stop, I want to get off ...



Now I so happy to report that 50 is the new 35.:thumb001:


Very comforting to know that. :) I'm certainly looking forward to the next 20 years of my life, and I haven't reached my zenith yet. In fact, I fully believe that my best years are still to come. :thumb001:

[Lyfing]

In Primitive Mythology (http://www.theapricity.com/forum/showthread.php?t=999) Joseph Campbell addresses this stuff in a chapter called "The Impact of Old Age"..

I could well quote the whole thing here, but I won't..

Here are some quotes..


Death is foreshadowed by the first signals of old age, which
appear even today too soon for pleasure. How much sooner in the
primitive past! When the woman of forty-five was a hag and the
warrior of fifty an arthritic cripple, when, moreover, disease and
the accidents of the hunt and of battle were everyone's immediate
experience, Death was a mighty presence who had to be faced
boldly even within the safest sanctuary, and whose force had to
be assimilated.

...

The Hawaiian tree with the deceptive branches, of which one
side seems to be alive but the other dead, suggests the Eddic
World Ash, Yggdrasil, whose shaft was the pivot of the revolving
heavens, with the World Eagje perched on its summit, four stags
running among its branches, browsing on its leaves, and the
Cosmic Serpent gnawing at its root:

The ash Yggdrasil suffers anguish,
More than men can know:
The stag bites above; on the side it rots;
And the dragon gnaws from beneath. 91

It is the greatest of all trees and the best, the ash where the gods
give judgment every day. Its limbs spread over the world and
stand above heaven. Its roots penetrate the abyss. And its name,
Yggdrasil, means "The horse of Ygg," whose other name is Odin;
for this great god once hung on that tree nine days, in the way of a
sacrifice to himself.

I ween that I hung on the windy tree,
Hung there for nights full nine;
With the spear I was wounded, and offered I was
To Odin, myself to myself,
On that tree that none may ever know
What root beneath it runs. 98

We have here certainly hit upon a series of images aptly
contrived to render certain hopes, fears, and realizations concerning
the mystery of death, such as might well have arisen spontaneously
in many parts of the world in the minds of those facing the dark
gate. Or, since these images of the tree or man that is at once dead
and alive do not appear in isolation, but always amid comparable
contexts of associated motifs, should we not look for signs of a
prehistoric distribution of the syndrome from a single myth-
making center to the rest of the world? In the puberty rites we
found the imagery of the androgyne associated with a tree or
great pole. Here we again have the tree, and again a dual associa-
tion: not the duality of male and female, but that of life- and
death. Are these two dualities mythologically related? To realize
that they may indeed be linked, one need only thinlr of the Bible
story of the First Adam, who became Adam and Eve and fell by
the tree, bringing into the world both death and its counterbalance,
procreation. Add to this, then, the figure of the Second Adam,
Christ, by whose death on the "tree" eternal life was given to man,
and a key to the structuring of the many-faceted image will have
been found. It is a threshold image, uniting pairs-of-opposites in
such a way as to facilitate a passage of the mind beyond anxiety.

...

It is not in the writings of Sigmund Freud but in those of Carl
Jung that the most profound analytical consideration has recently
been given to the problem confronting all men throughout the long
last portion of the human cycle of life: that, namely, of the ir-
resistible approach of King Death. "A human being," Jung once
wrote,

would certainly not grow to be seventy or eighty years old if
this longevity had no meaning for the species to which he be-
longs. The afternoon of human life must have a significance
of its own and cannot be merely a pitiful appendage to life's
morning. The significance of the morning undoubtedly lies in
the development of the individual, our entrenchment in the
outer world, the propagation of our kind and the care of our
children. But when this purpose has been attained and even
more than attained shall the earning of money, the extension
of conquests, and the expansion of life go steadily on beyond
the bounds of all reason and sense? Whoever carries over into
the afternoon the law of the morning that is, the aims of
nature must pay for so doing with damage to his soul just
as surely as a growing youth who tries to salvage his childish
egoism must pay for this mistake with social failure. Money-
making, social existence, family and posterity are nothing but
plain nature not culture. Culture lies beyond the purpose of
nature. Could by any chance culture be the meaning and pur-
pose of the second half of life?

In primitive tribes, we observe that the old people are al-
most always the guardians of the mysteries and the laws, and
it is in these that the cultural heritage of the tribe is ex-
pressed."

"As a physician I am convinced that it is hygienic," Jung de-
clares elsewhere, with an apology for employing such a clinical
term with reference to religion, "to discover in death a goal toward
which one can strive; and that shrinking away from it is something
unhealthy and abnormal which robs the second half of life of its
purpose. I therefore consider the religious teaching of a life here-
after consonant with the standpoint of psychic hygiene. When I
live in a house that I know will fall about my head within the
next two weeks, all my vital functions will be impaired by this
thought; but if, on the contrary, I feel myself to be safe, I can
dwell there in a normal and comfortable way. From the staijd-
point of psychotherapy it would therefore be desirable to think of
death as only a transition one part of a life-process whose
extent and duration escape our knowledge." And in fact, as Dr.
Jung then notes and all of us well know, "a large majority of
people have from time immemorial felt the need of believing in a
continuance of life. In spite of the fact that by far the larger part
of mankind does not know why the body needs salt, everyone
demands it none the less because of an instinctive compulsion. It
is the same in things of the psyche. The demands of therapy,
therefore, do not lead us into any bypaths, but down the middle of
the roadway trodden by humankind. And therefore we are thinking
correctly with respect to the meaning of life, even though we do
not understand what we think." 10

Observations such as these have earned for Dr. Jung the reputa-
tion of being a mystic though actually they are no more mystical
than the recommendation of a hobby to a mind becoming ossified
in its office task would be. Jung has here simply said that in the
afternoon of life the symbolism of King Death does in fact conduce
to a progressive inclination of the energies of the psyche, and hence
to maturity. Nor does he think it necessary, or even possible, to
"understand" the ultimate secret of the force of such symbolic
forms. For, as he asks,

Do we ever understand what we think? We understand only
such thinking as is a mere equation and from which nothing
comes out but what we have put in. That is the manner of
working of the intellect. But beyond that there is a thinking
in primordial images in symbols that are older than historical
man; which have been ingrained in him from earliest times,
and, eternally living, outlasting all generations, still make up
the groundwork of the human psyche. It is possible to live the
fullest life only when we are in harmony with these symbols;
wisdom is a return to them. It is a question neither of belief
nor knowledge, but of the agreement of our thinking with
the primordial images of the unconscious. They are the source
of all our conscious thoughts, and one of these primordial
images is the idea of life after death. 101

Later,
-Lyfing

[Beorn]

I'm not at all perturbed by growing old or getting older than my present age.

I don't fear death and when my time arrives, my only hope is that I have time to bid my farewells to my loved ones and make my peace with the world.

I do hope to die peacefully, but having had asthma as a child; and feeling it creeping back with each year that I grow older, I know that I will die painfully and grasping for that last breath.

Let's hope I am capable of administering a lethal does to finish me off if that is the case, as I know Ceallach is not strong enough to do that, and I do not wish for my children to do so either.

[Pino]

I'm quite comfortable with dieing, maybe if sombody told me had a terminal illness and was going to die in 2 weeks I would have a completely different perspective on life because I feel I have so much to do, achieve and I do think and want to change the world somehow, I have a feeling me and wanting to change the world will lead to my death one way or another but time will tell I just hope I can say goodbye properly to loved ones before it happens.

[Vargtand]

Yes I look forward to grow old, but never in my life shall I die from old age. That would be unfitting. I don't have any qualms with old age though.

[Treffie]

Witnessing both my parents dying was not a pretty sight. My mother became ill suddenly and within a week she had passed away. I remember her lying in the hospital bed in a comatose state and none of us being aware if she was aware of our presence. We don't know if she suffered any pain before she died or if she died in her sleep like her parents.

My father on the other hand had been ill for 2-3 months and still the doctors didn't know what what wrong with him, but seeing his frustration during the last weeks was painful for us to watch.

I think it depends on the experiences that one witnesses that ultimately defines our attitude towards death. From a personal perspective I don't fear aging - it's made a lot easier when one has a trusted companion, but death is a different matter, I don't really know until it finally arrives.

[Lady L]

Have you made peace with the fact that you will die one day?

Absolutely not.


Are you prepared emotionally to grow older and die one day?

I think I am prepared to grow old, growing old doesn't scare me. Only death. I haven't lost any parent yet, or anyone really close. Only grandparents, and then I was a child. I can't imagine saying goodbye to my mom or dad. I don't want to, nor do I want to feel that pain. I as most of us probably just feel, I don't want anyone I love to die or me. I want forever...but, I can't have forever.

[Ulf]

I don't mind the thought of death or aging. I kind of look forward to it because I wish to know if there really is something on the other side. Plus, I feel if I make it past my 50's I'll be on borrowed time anyway.

[Jägerstaffel]

I look forward to the respect and quiet reflection of old age. And I can't wait for an excuse to grow a long white gandalf beard and smoke a pipe.

I'm not too comfortable with the idea of my body falling apart and the aches and pains, but I have very little fear of death in a philosophical sense - though I'll fight it to the bitter end.

"Death is nothing to us; for once the body is dissolved into its elements, there will be no sensations, and that which has no sensation is nothing to us. " - Epicurus

[Loki]

"Death is nothing to us; for once the body is dissolved into its elements, there will be no sensations, and that which has no sensation is nothing to us. " - Epicurus

Indeed. Problem is getting to that stage though. ;) Not everyone agrees on how death is defined. We often think that there is a set point in time when someone dies, and then it is all over. It's not that simple.

Defining death in Medicine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death#Defining_death)



Medical science argues that a permanent cessation of electrical activity indicates the end of consciousness. Those who view the neo-cortex of the brain as solely responsible for consciousness, however, argue that electrical activity there should be the only consideration when defining death. In many cases, especially when elevated intracranial pressure prevents blood flow into the brain, the entire brain is nonfunctional; however, some injuries may affect only the neo-cortex. The case of Zach Dunlap, in which a man was declared brain dead but later recovered and remembers the doctors pronouncing him dead, questions this presumption. However, since he was declared dead only a few hours after presentation, he did not yet meet the American Academy of Neurology's brain death criteria. While Dunlap was being disconnected from life support four hours after the pronouncement, one of his cousins, Dan Coffin, who is also a nurse, found he was responsive to pain, demonstrating that he was alive, so this example is questionable.

[Brynhild]

It's funny when and how threads like this suddenly arise. I'm coming up to the 9th anniversary of my father's passing - on Valentine's Day, as a matter of fact.

My dad died a rather painful death, due to exposure of asbestos. He started to get sick before the diagnosis, once we knew about that he was gone within 6 months - the longest 6 months of my life ever!

Since then, I've gone to a fair few funerals - the only time I seem to meet up with relatives these days, which is sad really. I used to worry about death, but not any more. My generation will see a lot more of our older relatives drop off like flies, and in the case of my family, there are plenty of them to go.

My dad's death was a gift, in that I explored more deeply into my spiritual path and ancestry. I became more accepting of the fact that it is really just another journey that the soul undergoes so that we learn and develop. I'd like to think of this body as a vehicle which will eventually have to be traded in for a newer model. :D

When my time comes, I hope it will be in my old age, surrounded by my family and close friends. I would like to be able to have the time to tell everyone that I love them, ensure that all my affairs are in order - I have a will that needs to be updated - and know that I've been the best I could be.

When death finally comes knocking, it will be when I've had enough of this world. I will go back to the drinking halls of my ancestors and reacquaint myself with those who had gone before me. What a wild party that would be!

[Jägerstaffel]

That's too much to worry about. I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

Hopefully when I die, I'll be good and dead. No waking back up in a morgue with a toetag... ... or clawing my way out of the grave to feast on the flesh of the living, either.

[Loki]

That's too much to worry about. I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

Hopefully when I die, I'll be good and dead. No waking back up in a morgue with a toetag... ... or clawing my way out of the grave to feast on the flesh of the living, either.

One of the reasons I'd prefer to be cremated. :thumb001:

[Vargtand]

One of the reasons I'd prefer to be cremated. :thumb001:

So if you are not dead, you will sure as hell be dead? :P

[Treffie]

Hopefully when I die, I'll be good and dead. No waking back up in a morgue with a toetag

Yeah, but you will still need to go to the morgue before you're cremated.

[Jägerstaffel]

Good point. Didn't think this all through...

[Treffie]

Good point. Didn't think this all through...

Unless they never find your body, that is. But by then, all the lovely worms and maggots would have got to you!

[Brynhild]

How's that for an idea? Make a compost out of me once I'm gone! May as well be environmentally friendly. hehe

[Jägerstaffel]

You guys are creepy! :)

My kind of folks.

(man we're derailing this thread)

[Loki]

But by then, all the lovely worms and maggots would have got to you!

Indeed:


Corpse fauna (http://www.deathonline.net/decomposition/corpse_fauna/index.htm):

Many kinds of organisms live by feeding on dead bodies. In the process, their activities result in the decomposition of the body and the recycling of nutrients. The dominant groups of organisms involved in decomposition are bacteria, flies, beetles, mites and moths. Other animals, mainly parasitoid wasps, predatory beetles and predatory flies, feed on the animals that feed on the corpse. A dead body is therefore an ecosystem of its own, in which different fauna arrive and depart from the corpse at different times. The arrival time and growth rates of insects inhabiting corpses are used by forensic scientists to determine the circumstances surrounding suspicious deaths.


;)

[SouthernBoy]

I would like to know my great grandchildren, but beyond that it's "all cream" as they say. ;)

[Oresai]

I think only fools and fibbers say they never fear the approach of death. It`s simply fear of the unknown, or, for those of us who deal or have met death, of the known....;)
I AM ageing, and I hate it, will freely admit. If you have been active all your life, it doesn`t matter how hard you work to keep that level of fitness and healthy, it WILL deteriorate and slow down, that`s inevitable and there`s little you can do about it.
As you age, your priorities change..shallow issues like looks, how much stuff you accrue, etc, cease to have so much importance and the vital things become dearer to you and come into the forefront of your concerns more often..
things like, health, uppermost, because when you are young, and have periods of ill health, you can often shrug it off fairly easily, depending on what it is. You bounce back, and it`s forgotten.. There is something in the mind of youth which views itself as immortal, ostrich-like...
As you age, it`s harder to bounce back...old wounds and injuries begin to ache with the cold and damp, like old warriors sitting round the campfire you begin to compare scars with your peers and tell tales of the dubious joys of the comfort of a heat pat on an arthritic shoulder or hip joint...;)
With age, comes discrimination, like it or not.
In the job sector, you are judged by age all the time, your level of fitness for the work is judged, and ultimately, how much mileage the employer can get out of you compared to someone younger, despite qualifications.
In social life, you hit middle age and become invisible, no longer seen as desirable except by pervy old men who would find a skunk in a skirt desirable anyway. :rolleyes2:
And because you don`t LOOK the part of youth anymore, your opinions and views likewise are disregarded. You, my friend, when middle age hits, are no longer `cool`.....:cool:
Health issues aside, for many, ageing is a thorny thing, as you realise you have less years ahead of you than behind..all the missed opportunities you regret, all the things undone through fear or lack of time or commitment, believing with the folly of youth that you had all the time in the world to get round to them....
You take stock of your life and wonder where the time went, and how come it didn`t turn out quite the way you wanted it to....
People you consider the older generation begin to die and that can hurt more than pretty much anything, if they are your loved ones...
and it brings home once more your own mortality.
It`s easy to look dispassionately at ageing and death. Done so my own self, I deal with dead animals regularly, have dealt with dead people with depressing regularity, and you CAN possess a mild objectiveness about the process...so long as it isn`t happening to you, or someone you love...
then, it becomes sharply real, and though you can preserve the illusion of tough distance from it, in your heart of hearts, you know that one day it`ll be you, and you wonder how you will walk the death journey, and if, by any chance, you`ve watched a loved one age and die, perhaps from a debilitating illness that thieves one of dignity, joy and peace, well, you may view ageing and death a little differently.
Don`t know what it`s like elsewhere, but in the UK, the old are pretty much non entities, unless they are famous. And even then...they are tolerated with fondness, perhaps, but given little real value
So be prepared, when you age, for your worth to plummet, your health likewise, and for the reaper to always walk just behind your shoulder, and to stalk your dreams in the darkest hours of night.
Ageing? It sucks, frankly. :D
I want to be younger, and immortal, for I have seen death too many times and there is nothing noble about it. Nothing.
Ageing is surely a glitch by nature, a trick played on us, for often, our minds become sharper, our emotions more honed, our priorities finally ironed out and set into our core, and what happens?
The body betrays us. Tsk. Bummer....

[Ulf]

I don't know the source of this, just something I've had for a long time on my computer.

"Because we don't know when we will die, we like to think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything happens only a certain numbers of times. And a very small number, really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood? Some afternoon so deeply a part of your being that you can't even concieve your life without it? Perhaps four or five times more. Perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless..."

[Absinthe]

I don't think anyone likes the idea of ageing, especially women.

Men can be charming and sexually desirable even as old as 60 (thinking of Sean Connery right now :embarrassed), but for as women, there's a biological cut-off point where 'life as we know it' ends.

We tend to neglect ourselves after a point, get fat and look like grannies even when as young as 45... I know, that's what happened to my mom, she was gorgeous until 45 (and I mean gorgeous, let alone she looked at least 10 years younger), and then, mainly due to life's dissappointments and the lack of sexual interest in her life, she just gave up one day...and in no more than 2 years she gained about 20 kilos, stopped taking care of herself, and now her age shows...

Especially in Greece (time for Psychonaut's laugh for the day :D), it is social consensus that an unmarried woman over 30 is 'damaged goods' (notice use of apostrophes as quotation marks :D).

Really, one day you're 29 and desirable and all that, and the next day you turn 30 and nobody wants to be with the spinster anymore.

So what happens in my country is that women get over anxious of getting married before their 30s, but not earlier than 28 :D

So it's comical, as they 'want to be free' (apostrophes) and independent and sleep around as much as they can until their 28th or 29th years of life, and all of the sudden, they turn from party animals to Stepford wives in order to marry someone wealthy and not to become unwanted single 30-something women that hang around in bars... :D

I personally say that's all bulls**t.

You see, it's not age I am afraid of per se, but the sense of under-achievement at any given age.

I wouldn't mind being 50 if I have accomplished want I want to accomplish by that time, and having a good life to look back to and a nice retirement to look forward to.

But I would mind being 50 and having wasted the most productive years of my life in an unhappy, compulsory marriage, an unsatisfying job and Gods know what else...you get the point.

Therefore I am not stressed by the fact that I turned 30 and I'm not married yet...in fact, I am looking forward to the most productive years of my life, and I will do my best to strive towards a good old age, in the sense that I want to accomplish as much as I can by the time I'm old and tired. ;)

[Eldritch]

Well, I think it's after you hit 30 that the years really start flying by. It seems only yesterday that I turned 30, and now I'm 33 already! Actually the other day I forgot how old I was and had to do the math again! :eek:

I don't mind ageing or death that much. It's what comes along with ageing and precedes death that worries me: illnesses, chronic pains, frailty, deteriorating hearing amd eyesight, deteririorating mind. The worst fate I can imagine (well, I guess besides dying of some very painful cancer) was what happened to my mother's father: he died at 94, had been unable to walk or even sit up in his bed for years, and his mind was totally gone. He no longer recognised anyone, not even his own daughter -- whom he sometimes would think was his mother. That is not how I want to go.

Another thing that worries me is that I may look back on my life on my deathbed and realise that I had wasted it.

[Pino]

Well, I think it's after you hit 30 that the years really start flying by. It seems only yesterday that I turned 30, and now I'm 33 already! Actually the other day I forgot how old I was and had to do the math again! :eek:

I don't mind ageing or death that much. It's what comes along with ageing and precedes death that worries me: illnesses, chronic pains, frailty, deteriorating hearing amd eyesight, deteririorating mind. The worst fate I can imagine (well, I guess besides dying of some very painful cancer) was what happened to my mother's father: he died at 94, had been unable to walk or even sit up in his bed for years, and his mind was totally gone. He no longer recognised anyone, not even his own daughter -- whom he sometimes would think was his mother. That is not how I want to go.

Another thing that worries me is that I may look back on my life on my deathbed and realise that I had wasted it.

indeed I will be 21 soon, my Grandad said up untill 21 is the longest part of your life and the rest if you blink you miss it, carn't believe he got me feeling middle aged and old at aged 20!

[Loki]

n7CuJ8cR9sg

[Baron Samedi]

Even at the young age of 22 I am already noticing things like not being able to rebound from a night of drinking as quickly, the beginnings of back problems, and things like that.

It's not something I look forward to at all.

[Eldritch]

Anyone here ever heard of Singularicism? It's a perfectly logical, well argued "secular religion" that promises eternal life for any anyone who makes it until 2030-2045.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0670033847.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg


Renowned inventor Kurzweil (The Age of Spiritual Machines) may be technology's most credibly hyperbolic optimist. Elsewhere he has argued that eliminating fat intake can prevent cancer; here, his quarry is the future of consciousness and intelligence. Humankind, it runs, is at the threshold of an epoch ("the singularity," a reference to the theoretical limitlessness of exponential expansion) that will see the merging of our biology with the staggering achievements of "GNR" (genetics, nanotechnology and robotics) to create a species of unrecognizably high intelligence, durability, comprehension, memory and so on. The word "unrecognizable" is not chosen lightly: wherever this is heading, it won't look like us. Kurzweil's argument is necessarily twofold: it's not enough to argue that there are virtually no constraints on our capacity; he must also convince readers that such developments are desirable. In essence, he conflates the wholesale transformation of the species with "immortality," for which read a repeal of human limit. In less capable hands, this phantasmagoria of speculative extrapolation, which incorporates a bewildering variety of charts, quotations, playful Socratic dialogues and sidebars, would be easier to dismiss. But Kurzweil is a true scientist—a large-minded one at that—and gives due space both to "the panoply of existential risks" as he sees them and the many presumed lines of attack others might bring to bear. What's arresting isn't the degree to which Kurzweil's heady and bracing vision fails to convince—given the scope of his projections, that's inevitable—but the degree to which it seems downright plausible.

[YggsVinr]

indeed I will be 21 soon, my Grandad said up untill 21 is the longest part of your life and the rest if you blink you miss it, carn't believe he got me feeling middle aged and old at aged 20!

Well, its common knowledge that once you hit 20 you go through a mid midlife crisis :D Its strange, nearly everyone I know, myself included, started to feel as though the end was nigh after hitting 20. Now I'll be turning 24 soon, and considering my reaction to it you'd think I was turning 80 :p I'm not sure I'd say that it seems the last four years have gone by fast, they've gone by slow enough but its just difficult to think of myself as 24 or, horror of horrors, 25. I think maybe 20 is the threshold where you are no longer a part of that "tomorrow's leaders"/"today's youth" group anymore.

Anyways, I can't say that I fear death itself, but, rather, the process of getting older. I hate the idea that one day my body won't do what I want it to anymore, that I'll feel it getting weaker. My grandfather worked his farm until he was 83 when he started to get ill, and that's a noble thing to me. However, I just can't see myself over 50 and I'm not sure if I'd want to live that long. I guess I just want to die doing something of significance to me. Probably the biggest issue for me in aging is running out of time to do things that I believe to be worth while, to really live my life. I want to be able to feel that I've accomplished something I can truly be proud of at the end of the day, and don't want to die feeling like I ever held back.

[Heimmacht]

I would be displeased if I would grow older while knowing I didnt take the chances that were given to me, for some reason I've always had the feeling I will die fighting or something... or falling off a cliff. But then again I always have had the feeling that I will die lonely too, who knows.

[Beorn]

Well, its common knowledge that once you hit 20 you go through a mid midlife crisis :D Its strange, nearly everyone I know, myself included, started to feel as though the end was nigh after hitting 20. Now I'll be turning 24 soon, and considering my reaction to it you'd think I was turning 80


I have those moments as well.

I'm forever reassuring myself that being 28 is not ancient and that I am still young.
It gets more worrying as current trends in my working life are not very stable and over reliant upon quick and cheap work forces.

A stable job equals a stable life. Without stability, the ageing of your life becomes more pronounced.

[Heimmacht]

I have those moments as well.

I'm forever reassuring myself that being 28 is not ancient and that I am still young.
It gets more worrying as current trends in my working life are not very stable and over reliant upon quick and cheap work forces.

A stable job equals a stable life. Without stability, the ageing of your life becomes more pronounced.

Dont sweat it, men become really attractive when they turn 35 :D .:thumb001:

[Beorn]

Dont sweat it, men become really attractive when they turn 35 :D .:thumb001:


In that case I had best become a recluse on my 35th birthday, as I am far too attractive at the moment. :p

[SwordoftheVistula]

I just don't want to be sitting around like some vegetable for years. When I go, make it quick.

[Frigga]

I've been very sentimental about death for as long as I can remember. I lost a dearly beloved grandfather at the age of 16, and 11 years later, I still can get choked up over it. His widow, my grandma is now 92, and still doing pretty good, but I am so saddened by the knowledge that she's not going to last forever. And the thought of anyone else dying that I know of, and care about makes me really sad. Even my a**hole brother in law.

I've been getting closer to that dreaded birthday of age 30 year by year, and I hate it. I have wished that we aged more like hobbits, or the Numenoreans.(Tolkien) They lived for 500 years. I think that would be really cool. That way, you would be able to have time to really learn all you wanted to, and do all that you wanted to do. In the Lord of the Rings, Aragorn was supposed to be about 85 or 90 years old. Pretty funny, huh? They don't tell you that in the movie.

[HawkR]

I can't wait to grow older:D Hopefully at 25 I'll have kids and house and wife and so on. My kids will go to school, learn, be strong (hopefully:p) and so on. And when my kids get kids of their own I'll be the olde granpa who has a lot of stories:D

Seriously, I can't wait, oh, well, I can, gotta experience as much of life as possible.

[Silverfern]

Have you made peace with the fact that you will die one day?

Yes, death does not hold any fear for me.

Are you prepared emotionally to grow older and die one day?

I love growing older, and watching my children grow, and now my grand children :)

[Aemma]

Oh good gods my good Apricians! Reading this you'd think that life is over at 30! Well I'll tell you here and now, that it ain't over till it's over eh?! Or until the fat lady sings, as it were...I haven't even picked the aria I want to sing, so you're all relatively safe. :D

Ahhh the secrets of Life that most of you have yet to learn, my good young friends. Granted that ageing has its downside but take some advice from the most righteous Dr. Jung found in that wonderful post of Lyfing's...old age is, believe it or not, something to be embraced. It comes at a price of course (hefty by times depending on what the Norns have in store for each one of us, but then again all is relative). But the rewards one can reap from the good, the bad and the ugly of Life makes it all worthwhile in my very humble opinion. The trick is to get to the other side relatively unscathed. :D Yes Life is a journey and not a destination...and only with more 'time in' will most of you come to appreciate this perhaps nauseatingly worn-out (yet oh so very true) adage.

As for your initial questions Loki, I would have to answer that these are always a work in progress for me and I am one of those that can get quite philosophical about things, to wit the above. But only after the pain of certain events in my life have been worked through to the point of my appreciating that I have a Life to live here on this planet at this particular moment in Time.

I realise that it isn't much of an answer but then again, we each carve our own meanings to Life's Big Questions and this is mine. :)

Chin Up my Good People! It's actually quite nice over this hill. :D

Cheers for now!...Aemma :)

[Gooding]

If there is one aspect of life that affects us all, whether we are rich or poor, white or non-white, healthy or ill, religious or non-religious, is that we will all grow older (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ageing) and eventually die one day. Our eventual demise has been sealed into our genes from the day we were born. The thought of this may be morbid, but it is a fact of life and something we will have to come to terms with.

Have you made peace with the fact that you will die one day?

Are you prepared emotionally to grow older and die one day?

Many elderly people find comfort in religion, especially since religion offers hope of a life after death. It is also comforting for old people to have a family that care about them -- therefore the burdens of raising children at a younger age do bear considerable fruit in later years. The childless probably suffer more lonely days during old age.

When my grandmother was 91 years old, she told me that she was bored with life, and wanted to die. She was always healthy. Some months later she died. I think this is the way I want to die as well: a life lived to the full, without illness and discomfort until the very end, until I decide I've had enough.

Your thoughts?

I have made peace with the fact that I will die one day and I am emotionally prepared for the fact that I will grow older and one day die.At 35, with cholestorol through the roof and fatty liver enzymes, I'm already acquainted with my own mortality.Rural areas are where I find my own peace and sense of permanence.If birth is the result of comingling liquids becoming solid, then death is the breakdown of those solids into fertilizer and gaseous elements which contribute to the atmosphere.I don't know anything about spiritual, incorporeal survival after death, although I certainly hope that such a deal exists.Usually, the men in my family survive into their late sixties and early seventies, but we'll see how my case is.I don't think nature will make a special exception, but who really knows?

[Thorum]

I have been ready for dying for a while now. My whole life has been a bit "on the edge". First got drunk and smoked pot at 12 years old. It was downhiil from there. Always had the presence or feeling that death was never far away. This feeling has not lifted since I quit drinking 6 years ago. I lost my Mom in the late 80's from cancer (she was 56). Lost my brother (10 years older than me, he was 43) too. He shot his head off when running from the police and was cornered. Lost other friends and comrades mainly from accidents or suicide. My dad is now 80 and healthy so I hope to be like him especially since I now have 2 young daughters.

I just remember my Mom telling me never to be afraid of death. "Remember what it was like before you were born? Well that is what it will be like when you are dead. You have already been dead so you already know what it will be like. Dark, warm, calm............"

Sorry, if I rambled and got off topic.

[Thorum]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1520000/images/_1524948_pipbbc150.jpg

I think this could be me..........

:focus: Ok, ok.

[SuuT]

[...] but never in my life shall I die from old age. That would be unfitting.


I have to concur with this. In the immortal words of Def Leppard, "It's better to burn out, than to fade awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyy!"


:bow00001:

[Lady L]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1520000/images/_1524948_pipbbc150.jpg

I think this could be me..........

:focus: Ok, ok.

Then we could definitely hang out!!! ;):nod:

[Aemma]

I have to concur with this. In the immortal words of Def Leppard, "It's better to burn out, than to fade awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyy!"


:bow00001:

Just a question from a curious woman: What is the allure of going out in a blaze of glory for many young men??? I have a sense of how this might be answered but I'm interested in getting some real responses/thoughts/opinions from you out there. :)

Cheers for now!...Aemma

[Thorum]

Then we could definitely hang out!!! ;):nod:

:smokin:

[Thorum]

I have to concur with this. In the immortal words of Def Leppard, "It's better to burn out, than to fade awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyy!"


:bow00001:

No come on, SuuT, we all know that lyric came from Neil Young (the classic song "Hey, hey... my, my") in the late 70's. Wait, I am showing my age............I bet Mr's L can vouch for that.

Picky pain-in-the-ass aren't I?

:p

[SuuT]

No come on, SuuT, we all know that lyric came from Neil Young (the classic song "Hey, hey... my, my") in the late 70's. Wait, I am showing my age............I bet Mr's L can vouch for that.

Picky pain-in-the-ass aren't I?

:p


:rolleyes2::DYes, yes. Come on now: There's just something inherently more funny about saying "in the immortal words of Def Leppard than in the "imortal words of Neil Young".


And for all of you (you know who you are you rascals...) who have been fishing for my age, I'm 37.

[SuuT]

Just a question from a curious woman: What is the allure of going out in a blaze of glory for many young men???


Who and what is "young"? :p...(I won't bother with all that.)


The allure is certainly not prevalent in the mind or actions of Modern Man. - We have re-defined 'maturity' over the last thousand years (or so) to the point that this notion conjures an immediate chronological idea and host of assumptions about it, as opposed to wisdom achieved through action/doing, which often has little to do with how long one has managed to "hang on", as it were.

It's about a beautiful death; a ripe death: not one - literally - that has more to do with rotting (not that all who die of old-age die from rot, however).

I think that most people construct a façade of rationalisation around themselves and their lives, as concerns death - the primary purpose of which, is to absolve oneself from having done very little with their lives.


I'm not so interested or affected in how painful my death will be - pain is a cosmic wink. What I am concerned with is a death that I feel, in the moment of dying, came before I had the chance to do all that I wanted to do. With that said, however, were I to die today - I have done enough to have died a ripe and beautiful death.

Any more days past today is butter.:)

[Thorum]

:rolleyes2::DYes, yes. Come on now: There's just something inherently more funny about saying "in the immortal words of Def Leppard than in the "imortal words of Neil Young".


And for all of you (you know who you are you rascals...) who have been fishing for my age, I'm 37.

You win. :thumb001:

[SuuT]

You win. :thumb001:


Ahhhhhhhh. We all win with Neil, though:

Hq0tAoO3-xQ


:)

[Aemma]

:) Very nicely put SuuT. :)


Who and what is "young"? :p...(I won't bother with all that.)

Ok, I'm busted on that point. :D



The allure is certainly not prevalent in the mind or actions of Modern Man. - We have re-defined 'maturity' over the last thousand years (or so) to the point that this notion conjures an immediate chronological idea and host of assumptions about it, as opposed to wisdom achieved through action/doing, which often has little to do with how long one has managed to "hang on", as it were.

Yes, how very true...our society today does tend to push us into conferring respect upon the chronologically aged as opposed to the truly wise.


It's about a beautiful death; a ripe death: not one - literally - that has more to do with rotting (not that all who die of old-age die from rot, however).

I think that most people construct a façade of rationalisation around themselves and their lives, as concerns death - the primary purpose of which, is to absolve oneself from having done very little with their lives.


I'm not so interested or affected in how painful my death will be - pain is a cosmic wink. What I am concerned with is a death that I feel, in the moment of dying, came before I had the chance to do all that I wanted to do.

Indeed, and this is what can make death tragic in the end. I always wonder though if there ever truly will arrive a day in my own life when I say, "ok I'm quite satiated so I'll skip dessert and coffee. Just bring me the bill." ;) I still have too much of an appetite I think. The menu keeps expanding as I'm helping myself to different courses, as it were. :D



With that said, however, were I to die today - I have done enough to have died a ripe and beautiful death.

Any more days past today is butter.:)

Here's wishing you buttery golden years SuuT!

Ok, now that I'm done with my Food of Life analogy, time to get some java flowing through my veins. ;)

Cheers SuuT and thank you. A great post! :)

:)...Aemma

[lei.talk]

I hope I die before I get old (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNV5bgsv984).
- the who (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Who#Early_singles_and_My_Generation)

[Thorum]

7xZOrWK6d4g

[Tabiti]

Hmm, I have the strange feeling I'm prepared to death rather than getting older. Death always seemed something natural, but getting all the troubles of old age scare me a bit. I don't care I wouldn't be attractive anymore, but feeling helpless, weak and sick.

[Barreldriver]

Well, I'm at ease with the thought of old age just as long as I go out with a "bang". I want to be like the fellers in Grumpy Old Men, basically a crotchety old fart that's a complete ass. lol

[Atlas]

Maybe I am not affraid of dying because I don't have any children yet ? As for my parents, they will probably unfortunately die before me too so that won't be a big deal for everyone, other than some friends and cousins.

I really am glad to be aging though, and more especially in a really good mental and physical health. I think anyone become wiser when aging, also you get more respect from people at 25 than at 15.

[Tabiti]

I think anyone become wiser when aging, also you get more respect from people at 25 than at 15.
Well, if I judge from my attitude towards some old communists...And the general attitude of the new generations, their moral values, etc...It's not honor being old.
It is not age what matters for respect...
And, who cares about other's opinion? Your personal (and family) opinion on your achievements, your self-satisfaction from your passed life...That is what matters.

[Svarog]

You can never tell, I don't care for one's age but his words and deeds, trust me, I have seen wiser 15 years olders than 25 years old ones, stupid at 15 won't make you smart at 25, education is a different thing tho :)

Regarding me, I will make sure not to be a smart ass when old but will start digging my own grave as no one else will do it for me :D

[Bloodeagle]

Until science has come to the rescue I will have no choice but to cope with aging. :)
4dn1HANTf38

[Ladejarlen]

I dont fear death, but I fear what will become of my country as I grow more into adulthood. Society is so very different from just when my mother grew up.
She grew up on a farm, had goats, cows and other animals, know how to slaughter. Our family were often at sea fishing and working hard on the crop and elsewhere. My great-grandfather was a smith in addition to a fisher and farmer. I often think that it was a hard life and they had little, but there seemed to be a strong family bond and I find it hard to belive that 5-6 people lived in the house on our farm, its not so big. But they managed and got by, nowadays we seem to be mostly spoiled and dont appreciate things.

When my mother was a kid, they had two weeks of school, and then two weeks off. She grew up on a small island in Northern Norway where people have lived for thousands of years, the worlds oldest image of a man skiing is to find on the island in a rock carving. She told me when they got electricity, it was such a big thing. And also when she was growing up the only time they watched movies when was people came with boat and put up a projector in their school, I guess it must have been really special.

Im afraid norwegians will be pushed from the city's, and become minoritys in our own country. But thats what it looks like.

[Lulletje Rozewater]

My father took death as a joke.
Often he said:"Death is another part of living."
At his death bed he had smile on his face and a cigar-bands(Ritmeeter) wrapped around his two big toes,as if he wanted to convey the message.
My life has gone up in smoke.
In a way I liked him---he was never there.
He was an out and out Prussian.
I remember dinner at a posh restaurant in Amsterdam.
He had an altercation with the jewish owner about the exorbitant prices.
The guy smiled and said:"Vat can you expect,I am a jew"
My dad retorted:"Dis eesh Holland,,cut a Dutch in 2 and you haw two jews,so I eat for half price and my son for free.
He had one terrible hang-up---Japanese(he was in the Jap concentration camp)
Whenever he saw a jap, his face contorted to a jap face with 2 slit eyes and did a wanking gesture.
RIP dad and give Peter a Ritmeester.

[sturmwalkure]

I look to my grandmother (on my father's side) who is still healthy in her mid-80's. and my great-grandmother (also on my father's side of the family) who died at 99 only after having a stroke at 95. But my mother's side of the family unfortunately doesn't last that long. I would prefer to live a long, fulfilled life- which is why I want to have children so that just in case I die young for whatever reason I will live on through them. I want my dear mom to be around for as long as she can, which is why I am compelling her to lose weight and cut out artificial sweeteners from her diet.

[WinterMoon]

I have made peace with the fact that one day I will die, and I am perfectly okay with it, but I amnot ready for that day to be today. I would like to at least be able to raise my children first. I would really love to live much longer than that, but at the very least I want to live that long.

I have no problems with ageing. I am perfectly happy with my age and with getting older. I am even okay with fading looks as I age.... although some older women are quite attractive.

[Sol Invictus]

Have you made peace with the fact that you will die one day?

The only thing that really scares me about it is not leaving behind a legacy. I'm the last surviving male that carries my name, and to leave this world, and to witness the death of an entire bloodline before me is a pain I feel is worse than any death can be. I'm ready to die at a moment's notice, but I don't want to leave this world unless I have left my seed.


Are you prepared emotionally to grow older

No. A long and drawn out death is my biggest fear, next to dying and not having any children to carry on my name. I don't imagine myself living beyond middle age especially since the direction of my country is heading, but where, when and how isn't up me to. I just know I don't want to go out as an old wreck in his sleep.

[lei.talk]

http://i35.tinypic.com/35a6gwg.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Seuss#Later_years)

[Svipdag]

I'm 79 and in fairly good health for my age. My mother's side of the family is long-lived, though mainly the women, of whom three whom I have known lived to 99. The Olsens will go on.

On my father's side of the family, I am, as far as I know, the last. My brother and his wife had no children. I never married. I cannot see that this is any great loss.

Whatever I have accomplished is almost certainly all I am going to. There is much that I can still enjoy, and I intend to continue doing so as long as I can. I no longer fear death as I did when I was young. Not, that I am in any hurry to invite the Grim Reaper.

What I fear much more than death is helplessness and dependency. I have avoided having surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome and hammer toe because I would not be able to drive for two or three weeks and I would have to be dependent on others for transportation. So, I suffer, instead . I try not to think of what will become of me when I am no longer allowed to drive.

I have visited too many elderly relatives in nursing homes to want anything to do with that. I want to die HERE, in the home where I have lived for the past 53 years. I don't want "assisted existence" [I refuse to call that living.]
When I can no longer take care of myself and no longer do the things which I enjoy, I want a quick exit.

But, for now, tomorrow awaits. What will it bring ?

[asulf]

Afraid of death? no! :p
I knew him three times since my birth.
I almost drown in surf. (storm at sea brutal and unpredictable off the coast) where I was surfing the shallows.
An avalanche, snow surfing in a row ....
The temptation was too strong, the slope too great, and this space blank human traces available .... After three hours climbing a rocky ridge in the surf ..... Grail of the perfect wave, the, same! a dusty dream, and a plaque that has stalled, the rumble of doom, the feeling of riding an earthquake, and your instinct that you scream YOU FOR THE TIRES! ! then front side facing the wall seeming (well what we perceive ....; l and lucky for me I managed to escape watching the waves roll down again and again, while sleeping in his way ... these images are always present in me.
electric power, just blown up, burned, thinking my end came, I screamed for him Odin m hosts, and I'm always !!!!! I remember the burns on the body, muscle tetany for several days.
the third and last time, and I flirted with the grim reaper motorcycle! Love passed by my grandfather motorcycle champion and record holder speed motorcycle genes ah ... :cool::D
Small mountain road, by the end of the afternoon in summer :cool:
to prevent a villain in car, appropriated outrageously, all of the little road (which I admit nothing ... no suits) here I am too fast, too strong, to the D input a hairpin turn, la, it's amazing the speed at which we manage to scratch your head! if I enter the turn, I go out .... if not, I brake .... not enough room ... solution ... All right! a ravine, and a field in the bottom ten good cons m below speed? 140 km / h banzai! gas! and it should happen ... and, yes :p, I did the! since I speak to you, I actually jumped and plowed the fields below ... :D

I broke me sacrificing a secular family curse?
I dared to defy and confront the leader of my clan :mad:
then 24 years I found myself an orphan my parents
he has had to survive for my rebellion and my audacity j pays the price today, that is important, I did what had to be done even if I know that only death will remove rage that burns in me still
Finally, I added a link to my ancestral line, my two daughters, accessing the status of a living god in the eyes of my youngest, who has discovered that his idol father crossed.
neither men nor judges (4), don have to bend and if I remain a mystery to my eldest, on this ability to resist against all odds, in the example of what I am, my name written in letter sandy s erase the breath of time that passes, it will remain my legend!
True to the motto of my family, which conceal and Audax: audacity and the war cries of my ancestors posted under my name.

at the sight of what I told you, you can easily imagine that for me it is out of the question that I became addicted. If I am lucky that this is not sharp, I would take the time measures necessary action.
I want to die like I lived j: freedom and the honor
sorry about my body, a lance, faithful to an old war custom, cremated and my ashes rest in an urn, engraved Valknut buried in the mountains, exposed to the wind, and the place of my rest stones erect forming a Knorr. :thumb001:
At the foot of a wall with my name engraved runes.:thumb001:

[Lulletje Rozewater]

Have you made peace with the fact that you will die one day?
The day I was born


Are you prepared emotionally to grow older and die one day?

I long for death,I have seen my younger self in my kids and my older self in my grandchild.
To grow old and see kids wasting their life is worse than death.
When life becomes a burden and discomfort to older people end it.
The moment you have enough of life,it is to late and misery awaits you.

[Lulletje Rozewater]

Absolutely not.

I was diagnosed with Leukemia and Prostate cancer and Diabetes all in one day. I laughed and the GP said that it was not a laughing matter, upon which I said;Dr, Paradise is behind that door,in the next room. I am afraid I lost the key,use yours and I shall follow you.




I want forever...but, I can't have forever.
If you have got kids,you have forever,you are the history of your race.

[Lulletje Rozewater]

Just a question from a curious woman: What is the allure of going out in a blaze of glory for many young men??? I have a sense of how this might be answered but I'm interested in getting some real responses/thoughts/opinions from you out there. :)

Cheers for now!...Aemma

Hell, I have tried to go out in a blaze of inglorious glory.
I tried to drive my car against a tree,because I lost my girlfriend.
Al I got was a ticket for drunk driving

I tried to save some soldiers in Angola, while bullets flew any which way around me.
All I got was a broken leg for running to fast.

I tried to have a four some in the Holiday Inn.
All I got was a bill for excessive use of Jägermeister.

I tried to chase a group of Rhino
All I got was a flat tire and a rescue team 6 hours to late.

Blaze of glory only happens at an inconvenient and unexpected moment.:thumb001:

[Liffrea]

I’ve been growing old since I was born…see no reason to abandon the habit of a lifetime.

[Fred]

I would pray to God and make amends while I am still alive.

[Amarantine]

I am white, so inmmortal.

Sorry for trolling I just couldn't resist...:P

[Svarog]

Big LOL@Amarantine :D :P


Have you made peace with the fact that you will die one day?

Not yet, because I did not accomplish even half of the things I planned to do during my life time, but, I guess once that's all or at least most of it done, then I am sure I won't be all that 'afraid' of dying :)

[Svipdag]

With me, it's no longer a matter of "would" but rather of "do". For the past 20 years or so, I have come to suspect rather strongly, that the infirmities of old age have a purpose: to resign us to the prospect of death.

I cope with constant pain from peripheral neuropathy and arthritis because, what else can I do ? It's a fact of life at my age. I do what I can and I enjoy what I can. I have stopped lamenting the things which I can no longer do. I enjoyed them when I could.

As to the inevitability of death. I no longer avoid thinking about it and recoil from it in horror. It IS inevitable and therefore, my attitude towards it today is one of indifference. There is a line in Shakespeare's "Julius Cæsar" which I
have liked since boyhood, though, I think I probably believed it to be bravado, then. I know better now. It's merely acceptance.

"It seems most strange to me that men should fear, seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it will come."

In the meantime, however, I am in no hurry to embrace the Grim Reaper. There is much to see and much to learn. My curiosity is limitless. Eternity would not suffice to satisfy it.

[Fortis in Arduis]

My outlook on life is more of an 'inlook', so, I anticipate just trying to keep and develope good habits and trying to eliminate bad habits.

I spend most of my time alone, because I find company exhausting.

I think that my existence and my efforts matter to other people. What we do, even alone and unseen, impacts on others.

As I am the axis of change in the universe it is up to me to live my life well and set a good example.

I have to have an inlook on life which places me into good accord with the universe, but my avoidance of company works against me developing a better inlook.

How does this impact on ageing and death?

I try to live well, so that I may die well.

[Liffrea]

Originally Posted by Svipdag
In the meantime, however, I am in no hurry to embrace the Grim Reaper. There is much to see and much to learn. My curiosity is limitless. Eternity would not suffice to satisfy it.

I once read that the defining aspect of maturity is the acceptance of one’s own immortality. I suspect that there is the realisation that we will die and the ability to meet that death when it comes. I realise I am going to die, I have faced it or the possibility of it on several occasions (accidents and two cancer scares) and seen some of those closest to me die.

Interestingly enough a couple of years ago I was undergoing tests for tumours that were discovered on lymph nodes in my lungs, needless to say I was worried but I developed a calm acceptance as well, I accepted that if I was to die now, I was 27 at the time, then I was to die, there was little I could do. But more importantly I came to understand that I didn’t want to die, not a petulant tantrum at the “unfairness” just a realisation that although life was far from good I still wanted to live it, I didn’t welcome death. As it happens I was diagnosed with a lung condition but, happily for me although not my brothers who will still have to share my father’s estate with me, I wasn’t about to kick the bucket just yet. I think those kicks in the balls that life likes to deal us are really good for perspective.

Of course the other way of looking at it is we could live for ever.....who in their right mind would want that?:D

[Octothorpe]

How's that for an idea? Make a compost out of me once I'm gone! May as well be environmentally friendly. hehe

Oh, goodness--for a moment, I thought you said compote. :eek:

[Germanicus]

My male members of my fathers family have all lasted a long and healthy life, it seems we all have inherited a slow acting ageing gene. All of us are a healthy weight, with a athletic metobolism. My hair is still thick but slightly greying, my energy levels are supreme at the moment and i can easily compete with younger men at martial arts.
My meals consist of a lot of protein, with salad and a few carbs, i also take multi vitamins and fish oil.
The only jip i have is the aches from the cold, this is arthritis from the many broken bones i have in my left elbow and right hand.
My father was a very active man all through his life, i am just the same.
Rarely do i visit a doctor, as i do not get ill at all, apart from the ear infection i had last winter.
Every twelve months i go to the hospital for eye tests at our general hospital, my mother suffers from glycoma so it is prudent on my part to take tests regularly, as i could inherit it from her.
Recently i took out an insurance policy for redundancy and health, this would cover my monthly out goings, they asked me all sorts of questions about my parents and my health, having answered as best i could they still insisted on sending for my doctors notes, this was no problem.
On completion of the inquiry they quoted me a very low premium
From the age of 24 i have religiously paid into a private pension scheme, so i think i have my old age financially covered too..:)

[Arcaius]

Die young and good looking??? :thumbs up

or just take more care of yourself and you'll be fine... that is if you are not a construction worker or any of that crap,if you have decent job a bit of looking after yourself would make wonders to your face and body

so you will feel young in soul and body :D no matter what the years are saying

[larali]

Not too worried, just want to stay relatively healthy and active, have some hobbies I can keep into my old years, and have a place my husband and I can live where a maid will clean the house for me. Hell if I'm going to be doing housework when I'm 85.

I've got kids so they will give me something to fret over..all old people need something to fret over.

[Permafrost]

I'm only 20 yet scared of ageing nonetheless.

[bladieblah]

I try not to think about it too much to be honest. I think the more you think about it the more it would start to effect you.

[Arcaius]

I try not to think about it too much to be honest. I think the more you think about it the more it would start to effect you.

yes you are right,and no definitely you don't start thinking of it ;)

[Philo]

I try not to think about it too much to be honest. I think the more you think about it the more it would start to effect you.

That's not going to make it disappear.

[bladieblah]

That's not going to make it disappear.

Yeah but if your constantly worrying about every sign of aging you notice and your health, you'll probably just end up aging faster. So best not to think about it :thumb001:

[Philo]

Yeah but if your constantly worrying about every sign of aging you notice and your health, you'll probably just end up aging faster. So best not to think about it :thumb001:

yeah well i'm not thinking about it much but i am not denying it.

[Kazimiera]

I'm at the age now where things are starting to go downhill. Very slowly, but it's happening. When you're in your 20's you feel so immortal, and I'm being reminded every day in the subtlest of ways that those days are over. It only gets worse from here!

I think the key to growing older is doing so gracefully.

I always keep this in mind:


Go placidly amidst the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its shams, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

[Azalea]

I am 22 and I feel old. Go figure. :D

[Linet]

I hate the idea :icon_neutral:

[Kazimiera]

It's not a pleasant idea, but that's life. It's all part of the cycle.

[Hoca]

I think every age has its benefits and non-benefits. You just have to enjoy the ride and don't take anything for granted. I can imagine being old is more worse for women. Men can get a partner and children much later in life than women. Women loose their looks faster and their biological clock is ticking. I'm glad I'm not a women.

[Linet]

aarg...:icon_mad:

[Hoca]

aarg...:icon_mad:

You can't change it. It is the way of life.

[Kazimiera]

I think every age has its benefits and non-benefits. You just have to enjoy the ride and don't take anything for granted. I can imagine being old is more worse for women. Men can get a partner and children much later in life than women. I'm glad I'm not a women.

In some ways I think men take it harder than women.

When the skin begins to sag, and the muscles thin out. Some have to cope with hair loss. And greying hair - woman cover it up with dyeing. And not as virile anymore, weakening erections. That is very difficult for a man.

[Medusa]

I see myself getting HGH and Hormone treatments.

[Arcaius]

In some ways I think men take it harder than women.

When the skin begins to sag, and the muscles thin out. Some have to cope with hair loss. And greying hair - woman cover it up with dyeing. And not as virile anymore, weakening erections. That is very difficult for a man.

not necessarily,the graying hair can add to the matureness of the man (till some point) the sagging skin and all is the same as women but we don't need to be dolled up (don't mean it in a bad way) so it wont bother that much,and as for the weak erections well there is always viagra ;)

but on hair-loss yeah,it's big issue for many....

[larali]

I think every age has its benefits and non-benefits. You just have to enjoy the ride and don't take anything for granted. I can imagine being old is more worse for women. Men can get a partner and children much later in life than women. Women loose their looks faster and their biological clock is ticking. I'm glad I'm not a women.

Honestly, that's why I had kids early (for today's standards.) I cannot imagine anything more terrifying than reaching the end of your biological fertility and not having reproduced.

Kids first, career later... I think that works better for women, if they plan to be a mother at some point. JMO

[Hoca]

In some ways I think men take it harder than women.

When the skin begins to sag, and the muscles thin out. Some have to cope with hair loss. And greying hair - woman cover it up with dyeing. And not as virile anymore, weakening erections. That is very difficult for a man.

I think for men looks don't matter as much as for women. Women are obsessed with how they look, it is in their genes. I think normal guy won't care how he looks. Of course there are guys who care but those are the exception that the rule itself. When women hits 40 she will loose the ability to reproduce, while a man can reproduce until much later. When a guy is 40 he can take a 20 year old chick, but a 40 year old women can't take a 20 year old guy.

[Mistel]

I don't like to think about growing old. I am worried that one day I will lose my looks - I know that sounds so superficial - but I guess there are always things you can do to improve things a bit.

[Arcaius]

I think for men looks don't matter as much as for women. Women are obsessed with how they look, it is in their genes. I think normal guy won't care how he looks. Of course there are guys who care but those are the exception that the rule itself. When women hits 40 she will loose the ability to reproduce, while a man can reproduce until much later. When a guy is 40 he can take a 20 year old chick, but a 40 year old women can't take a 20 year old guy.

that's where you are terribly wrong sir!!! :D

[Kazimiera]

not necessarily,the graying hair can add to the matureness of the man (till some point) the sagging skin and all is the same as women but we don't need to be dolled up (don't mean it in a bad way) so it wont bother that much,and as for the weak erections well there is always viagra ;)

but on hair-loss yeah,it's big issue for many....

Objectively you are totally correct.

But you know yourself and your body. When you look in the mirror you see who you used to be and who you are now. Yes, you can get viagra and all the rest, but you know what your body was capable of. You're struggling up stairs you used to jog up. You're getting tired earlier in the evening. Your joints are stiffer. It is the small things. It is when you compare yourself to how you used to be. Ageing is a very personal experience.

I know I don't look bad for my age. But I also know, when I look in the mirror that my boobs are not exactly where they used to be 10 years ago. Nobody else would say so, but I know. I know I'm a little stiffer than I was. Not much, not noticably to others. But I know. There are lots of daily little reminders that things are not exactly how they were. Not things others would see, but things I know about myself.

[Hoca]

that's where you are terribly wrong sir!!! :D

Nah, only George Clooney can pull that off.

[Absinthe]

Cope? :icon_ask: I don't know what's there to cope with, I just go about doing business as usual.

I am sure I must have looked hotter when I was 20 but I don't even know who I was back then; I do not miss this period of shallowness and folly.

Now I feel stronger, more self-assured, focused and all in all better about myself. I still look decent so I don't fear the aging process that much.

I do take care of myself now as opposed to before: I eat and sleep well, exercise and stick to my goals and schedules.

But I do not attribute this to a fear of aging but rather to the fact that I've matured and I am a better person now. In my 20s there were periods where I was out every night, binge drinking and waking up late with a terrible hangover the next day, skipping my university classes as a result, always dating some loser and ending up heart broken, always preoccupied with some shallow and lame situation, having also done some really awkward things that now I deeply regret... Borderline alcoholic, fluctuating between hypomania and depression, awake at night and asleep during the days...

Sure, I must have been cuter and sexier but who cares? Who wants that? I prefer my 30+ self who's made amends with the past and looks forward to improving the future (and being proactive about it). With age comes wisdom. :)

[Arcaius]

Objectively you are totally correct.

But you know yourself and your body. When you look in the mirror you see who you used to be and who you are now. Yes, you can get viagra and all the rest, but you know what your body was capable of. You're struggling up stairs you used to jog up. You're getting tired earlier in the evening. Your joints are stiffer. It is the small things. It is when you compare yourself to how you used to be. Aging is a very personal experience.

I know I don't look bad for my age. But I also know, when I look in the mirror that my boobs are not exactly where they used to be 10 years ago. Nobody else would say so, but I know. I know I'm a little stiffer than I was. Not much, not noticeably to others. But I know. There are lots of daily little reminders that things are not exactly how they were. Not things others would see, but things I know about myself.

oh yes you are right in that case,and it would be really bad feeling for guys,even more because as a man you are suppose to do things without any effort (both in bed and outside of it ;) ) and always being the strong one for your girl who can lift anything that might be too heavy for her :),it would be funny when you lift the vase and you start feeling your back being driven over by trains :),so in this case yes you are totally right

when i replied i was thinking more of the range between 40 till 55 tops :) everything after that it's bad :P or mostly bad lol :D

[Arcaius]

Nah, only George Clooney can pull that off.

:confused: yeah... gorge will be able to take 20 year old girl...not 20 year old boy :D (unless he became gay and i don't know about it)

but a nice 40 year old woman ;), can easily get 20 year old guy believe me i have seen many 40+ year old ladies for that ;)

[Kazimiera]

oh yes you are right in that case,and it would be really bad feeling for guys,even more because as a man you are suppose to do things without any effort (both in bed and outside of it ;) ) and always being the strong one for your girl who can lift anything that might be too heavy for her :),it would be funny when you lift the vase and you start feeling your back being driven over by trains :),so in this case yes you are totally right

when i replied i was thinking more of the range between 40 till 55 tops :) everything after that it's bad :P or mostly bad lol :D

You will be surprised what your 40's can do to you.

My late husband was a very fit man. He was super-fit, strong, well-built. He surfed the crap out of younger guys, but in the mornings his joints were always stiffer than they used to be. He'd surf the way he always did, but said afterwards he was more tired than before and it took him longer to recover. Sometimes he'd pull a muscle doing things he'd been doing in the water for the last 30 years.

[Arcaius]

You will be surprised what your 40's can do to you.

My late husband was a very fit man. He was super-fit, strong, well-built. He surfed the crap out of younger guys, but in the mornings his joints were always stiffer than they used to be. He'd surf the way he always did, but said afterwards he was more tired than before and it took him longer to recover. Sometimes he'd pull a muscle doing things he'd been doing in the water for the last 30 years.

hmmm... dunno if my father is trolling me that he is fine or he really is not in a bad condition :D

haven't heard him complain about serious things and he is 53,hoping he is not trolling me :rolleyes: :D

[Azalea]

Cope? :icon_ask: I don't know what's there to cope with, I just go about doing business as usual.

I am sure I must have looked hotter when I was 20 but I don't even know who I was back then; I do not miss this period of shallowness and folly.

Now I feel stronger, more self-assured, focused and all in all better about myself. I still look decent so I don't fear the aging process that much.

I do take care of myself now as opposed to before: I eat and sleep well, exercise and stick to my goals and schedules.

But I do not attribute this to a fear of aging but rather to the fact that I've matured and I am a better person now. In my 20s there were periods where I was out every night, binge drinking and waking up late with a terrible hangover the next day, skipping my university classes as a result, always dating some loser and ending up heart broken, always preoccupied with some shallow and lame situation, having also done some really awkward things that now I deeply regret... Borderline alcoholic, fluctuating between hypomania and depression, awake at night and asleep during the days...

Sure, I must have been cuter and sexier but who cares? Who wants that? I prefer my 30+ self who's made amends with the past and looks forward to improving the future (and being proactive about it). With age comes wisdom. :)

Thank you, Absinthe! Reading this post made me seriously feel better about ageing. :)

[Kazimiera]

hmmm... dunno if my father is trolling me that he is fine or he really is not in a bad condition :D

haven't heard him complain about serious things and he is 53,hoping he is not trolling me :rolleyes: :D

He's not trolling you. The thing with age is that it creeps up on you. It's not like you reach a certain age and then everything hits you at once. Little things start going wrong. Even my current husband says at the age of 38, that he is not what he used to be when he was 25. It's small little things. They just pick up speed and severity as you get older.

He says he can't drink as much anymore. His body just doesn't cope with alcohol the same way it did then. He used to be able to party till the sun came up, which he can't do anymore. I used to do the same, and I'll tell you now that I can't do it either.

[Arcaius]

He's not trolling you. The thing with age is that it creeps up on you. It's not like you reach a certain age and then everything hits you at once. Little things start going wrong. Even my current husband says at the age of 38, that he is not what he used to be when he was 25. It's small little things. They just pick up speed and severity as you get older.

He says he can't drink as much anymore. His body just doesn't cope with alcohol the same way it did then. He used to be able to party till the sun came up, which he can't do anymore. I used to do the same, and I'll tell you now that I can't do it either.

true that!

[Kazimiera]

I do agree with Absinthe on the personal aspects though.

I am more stable as a person. I have developed self-confidence and happiness within myself as a person which I didn't have before. I am far more comfortable in my own skin. I'm a happier and more positive person. Age has done good things for me. :)

[bishoop]

I don't fear death and when my time arrives, my only hope is that I have time to bid my farewells to my loved ones and make my peace with the world.

[Tyfani]

I am not afraid of death as much as aging.... I was watching my grandfather slowly dying for 20 years and it was terrible... I hope my family doesn't face this :( :( :(

[Slycooper]

It will be interesting to see when I turn 25-26. They say thats when your body starts to die. Right now i'm at or close to my physical peak. In regards to running and sports etc.

[Philo]

It will be interesting to see when I turn 25-26. They say thats when your body starts to die. Right now i'm at or close to my physical peak. In regards to running and sports etc.

I'm 18 so I would'nt know but it's noit like when you reach 25 suddenly you feel old and dying. LOL.

[Slycooper]

No but after that you start to feel it. I'm 19 and when I play sports with someone who is 30. I always here man I wish I was your age so I can not get tired.

[rhiannon]

I'm at the age now where things are starting to go downhill. Very slowly, but it's happening. When you're in your 20's you feel so immortal, and I'm being reminded every day in the subtlest of ways that those days are over. It only gets worse from here!

I think the key to growing older is doing so gracefully.

I always keep this in mind:

Yes. I don't feel the energy of my youth anymore. I have a few health issues I take meds for now, and I'll never look as good as I did in my early 30s ever again. Everything goes to shit once you hit 40, I swear to God lol.

However, growing older alongside my husband who is only SEVEN days older than I am and who truly loves me with all his heart has made the process of getting older much more easy to accept. We get to compare notes heh heh heh....and we do it all the time!

I know I won't die alone. I have a grown daughter I am still close with, and my son will hopefully make it to adulthood before I decide to take a dirt nap.:angel When I die my family will be by my side, and more than anything, they have given meaning to my life in a way nothing tangible ever can or will.

So, I'm happy and okay with getting older.

Now if I could just die QUICK when the moment comes...

[rhiannon]

Honestly, that's why I had kids early (for today's standards.) I cannot imagine anything more terrifying than reaching the end of your biological fertility and not having reproduced.

Kids first, career later... I think that works better for women, if they plan to be a mother at some point. JMO

LOL. I had #1 toward the beginning of the cycle....and #2 toward the end of the cycle....go figure :D

[rhiannon]

Cope? :icon_ask: I don't know what's there to cope with, I just go about doing business as usual.

I am sure I must have looked hotter when I was 20 but I don't even know who I was back then; I do not miss this period of shallowness and folly.

Now I feel stronger, more self-assured, focused and all in all better about myself. I still look decent so I don't fear the aging process that much.

I do take care of myself now as opposed to before: I eat and sleep well, exercise and stick to my goals and schedules.

But I do not attribute this to a fear of aging but rather to the fact that I've matured and I am a better person now. In my 20s there were periods where I was out every night, binge drinking and waking up late with a terrible hangover the next day, skipping my university classes as a result, always dating some loser and ending up heart broken, always preoccupied with some shallow and lame situation, having also done some really awkward things that now I deeply regret... Borderline alcoholic, fluctuating between hypomania and depression, awake at night and asleep during the days...

Sure, I must have been cuter and sexier but who cares? Who wants that? I prefer my 30+ self who's made amends with the past and looks forward to improving the future (and being proactive about it). With age comes wisdom. :)

I was in my prime at ages 33-34. :)My attitude was very similar to yours. Now I'm just decrepid enough to have to take a more realistic approach to growing old lol.

[Hoca]

I was in my prime at ages 33-34. :)My attitude was very similar to yours. Now I'm just decrepid enough to have to take a more realistic approach to growing old lol.

what would you have done differently?

[rhiannon]

what would you have done differently?from my 30s til now?

[Philo]

With regards to the original question, I would'nt cope with aging. It sucks and it's not acceptable by any means.

[Caismeachd]

I had a major back injury at age 28. I was already worried about become 30, but to top that off with such a huge problem like that I felt my life was over. Trying to rediscover life past the age of 30 again; starting over more or less. I don't know what to think about aging really. There are so many counterbalances to life that can make it worth living that I guess it's not good to focus on it too much.

[Loki]

It will be interesting to see when I turn 25-26. They say thats when your body starts to die. Right now i'm at or close to my physical peak. In regards to running and sports etc.

No way. I think you're far more balanced/at your peak at age 25, or even later. Starts to die? Very, very slowly ... life begins at 30 really.

[Loki]

Everything goes to shit once you hit 40, I swear to God lol.


I haven't experienced this :p

[rhiannon]

I haven't experienced this :pGive it time lol

[Just90]

I have accomplished all my dreams so I feel i would grow older happy knowing I did and saw what I wanted to see and had a good experience along the way at a young age like mine
And well looks wise , I think I'm going to age good cause I don't even look my age , I look younger

[Loki]

Give it time lol

We'll all die eventually :) But we can stay in good shape for a very long time, it depends on many things.

[Hoca]

from my 30s til now?

yea

[YellowRose]

I have accepted the fact that one day, I will not longer exist. Am I ready for it to be today? No.

I am emotionally prepared to age, I will just take it one day at a time... I believe I have grown up a lot but feel that I have not changed in my appearance much since I was 18. However there are some mornings where I feel a slight ache or pain when I get out of bed lol, not sure if its because I am getting old or if it is because I slept wrong. I am still active yet some days I completely lack energy. I can no longer stay up all night and get up the next day and function, I need my beauty sleep.

[MissProvocateur]

I will NEVER grow old. I will find a potion for immortality that also makes me freeze at age 22, so then I am young FOREVER!

[YellowRose]

I will NEVER grow old. I will find a potion for immortality that also makes me freeze at age 22, so then I am young FOREVER!

I will take your potion so that I can look 25 for the rest of my life, but I would still like my mind to mature so I can gain more knowledge and be wise beyond my years :)

[Bosnjakinja]

I look young for my age so I don't worry about that part yet (also Im only in my 20's) but I notice already now I dont like birthdays as much as I did only three years ago.

[dado]

i hate getting old... but what i hate more is seeing my parents getting old and everything that comes with it

[lamb]

Maybe this sounds morbid, but I'm ready to die already. I don't care so much about making it to an old age..

[YellowRose]

Maybe this sounds morbid, but I'm ready to die already. I don't care so much about making it to an old age..

I understand what you are saying lamb. I see all of these men and women who are in their 80's+ and they are barely able to move from one side of the room to the other. It makes me sad to see all these old war vets that are alone because their spouse has long passed away and they are hunched over and unable to do many things they used to. I feel so bad for the old men/women who are sitting at a table in a restaurant by themselves and can barely hold their fork.

My husband I once went out to a buffet type restaurant, and of course you had to carry your own tray. There was an old man who had his walker and was trying to carry his tray of food at the same time (I was in shock that no staff offered to help this man), so my husband gladly walked up and offered assistance and helped the man go through the line and take the tray to his table. We even offered to sit with him, so in case he wanted seconds my husband or I would willingly go get what he wanted for him. After dinner, my husband made sure he got into his car okay, the poor old man had a hard time stepping off the curb, so my husband helped him as well and then helped him get into his car.

I do not want to get to that point in my life either. I do want to live a long happy fulfilled life with my children and being able to see grandchildren... but when I am at the point where it is hard to get around alone... then I would rather go peacefully in my sleep and knowing I lived a great life.

[member]

I feel weird seeing how my family members age. It's very unpleasant for some reason. Makes you think about death and that you're only getting uglier. That your time past, but at the same time you don't feel experienced at all living your life (this applies to me). Sometimes I feel like my character is just so juvenille, sometimes, on the contrary, I feel so old. I feel like being tossed between two different sides. Maybe I have a split personality? Who knows.