My secondary school teacher was in his 50s when he shared his views on old age. He had told the class that when he was much younger he thought he would be content if he could live till a ripe old age of 70 but now he probably would not even be satisfied with 80. He went on to explain that there is so much more he wished he could do before he kicks the bucket; he wanted to see his children grow up and perhaps get married, he wants to spend more quality time with his family and maybe go on trips.
Yet he admitted these are all wants. Human wants are unlimited and everyone wishes for more. The fact is that humans are mortals and we will eventually die some day. Current medical technologies can only help prolong lives but not guarantee immortality. So at what cost are we willing to pay for longer lives?
Nature has designed our bodies such that our organs begin to fail when we are old and consequently leading to death. As we age, our eyesight weaken, our senses get duller, our physical ability depletes, our cognitive ability begins to go awry, we may even develop several geriatric diseases like arthritis. Even with medical advances we will still suffer some ailments of sorts.
My friend's grandfather is already 90 but living in a shadow of his old self. Sometimes he gets delusions and begins speaking in a weird manner to my friend. Sometimes I wonder if one is already senile, is one really still the same person one used to be or just a living shell?
In actual fact none of us have control over how long we can possibly live. When it's time to go, it's time to go.
2 comments:
i had an academic comment yesterday that at my age, I believe that i am invincible. I never really thought that term applied to me. but upon reflection her statement does hold some truths. When you push yourself and stay up all night until 6am, sleep for an hour and then find yourself driving down a highway for an hour, followed by a full day of writing, being driven by nothing more than a sandwhich at 11am, I think somewhere in the back of my head I believed that since i lasted out the night until 6am, then hell, I could last out until i finished my thesis. what sad and sorry delusions the young do lead...
so it frightens me to see you blogging today about age, and how our mortality is just that - brief. Having just emerged from a cocoon where the writing on the wall was, 'you can do this because you have to, and you know deep down that you can' to having to some day deal with the sad reality that I'm not as young as i once was, and therefore have to face reality, like, REALLY face reality... is so sad and depressing.
You know what you said is just so true. Sometimes when i look back at my younger days i am really amazed at my vitality. Years back i can go out and have fun all night, early the following morning still be back in boring school... continuously for a few days.
But now i don't think i can even last without one good night's rest... you'll probably catch me with droopy eyes, droopy face and droopy everything ;p
Perhaps age is really catchin up with me... but i am not exactly THAT old... honest... ha!
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