There are a lot of things the very young and the very old have in common.
When you’re very young, people older than you think it’s OK to comment on how smart you are for your age. How you can walk so well at such a young age. How you know so many words at such a young age. How much older you look for your age.
When you get very old – and sometimes not even all that old – people younger than you are often amazed at how agile you are for your age. What a good memory you have for your age. How “young” you still look for your age.
Ageism, whether it’s directed at young people or old people, is everywhere. So it’s no wonder we all have a tough time avoiding it, and then passing it on. Our entire society is seemingly obsessed by it.
The first question new parents often hear is: Is it a boy or girl?
The second question is often how old is she or he. And then begin the endless comparisons: is she big enough for her age? Is he trying to walk yet?
The fear of parents that their little ones are not keeping up with the other little ones of the same age is completely understandable on many levels. Developmental issues are significant. But the added layer of, “is he or she behind or ahead” also speaks to the pressures of keeping up with everybody else.
And, of course, the pressure never ends.
One might hope that on the other end of the aging spectrum you could catch a break. But, no. Tales of elderly citizens who are still climbing mountains in their 80s get oohs and ahhhs. Young people compare stories about their grandparents, proclaiming in wonder that they are still living in their own homes or still paying their own bills.
Again, some of this is completely understandable. We are raised to measure ourselves against others.
But is the shock and surprise we display when we hear of someone older who is still active a product of our own admiration for these individuals or of our ingrained prejudgments about what is ‘normal’ for older people?
We profile Jack Thomas on our front page today. He’s 90 and still working. There’s no question that’s unusual. He certainly tests our assumptions, and we’re glad that the ‘news angle’ gave us an opportunity to meet Jack and get to know him a little better and share him with our readers. He’s a great guy. Perhaps, in a perfect world, the fact that he’s 90 really wouldn’t be all that newsworthy.
