A short time ago, on reaching the age of 80, Jane Brody published an essay called “How to Age Gracefully” in the New York Times. Feedback on the discussion board, which now numbers over 1700 comments, has been overwhelmingly positive, but there are also occasional exasperated and even a few outright irritated responses asserting pointedly that the notion of “aging well” is a narcissistic illusion of upper middle-class privilege. Aging well is not an option if you have not had the luck of (so far) avoiding major health problems and do not have a good deal of financial security. I do not share the exasperation or irritation, but I see the point. The appropriate response, though, should be that if people are denied the option of aging well, we need to begin changing society. A society in which all people without exception do not have at least minimal financial security and access to adequate health care is a disgrace.
September 24, 2021
September 24, 2021
September 24, 2021
A short time ago, on reaching the age of 80, Jane Brody published an essay called “How to Age Gracefully” in the New York Times. Feedback on the discussion board, which now numbers over 1700 comments, has been overwhelmingly positive, but there are also occasional exasperated and even a few outright irritated responses asserting pointedly that the notion of “aging well” is a narcissistic illusion of upper middle-class privilege. Aging well is not an option if you have not had the luck of (so far) avoiding major health problems and do not have a good deal of financial security. I do not share the exasperation or irritation, but I see the point. The appropriate response, though, should be that if people are denied the option of aging well, we need to begin changing society. A society in which all people without exception do not have at least minimal financial security and access to adequate health care is a disgrace.