Old and beautiful

Getting old is a privilege. Not everyone gets an opportunity to get old and live a fulfilling life. Of course, aging causes many changes to our bodies and minds. Our looks change, we don't look the same as we used to during our younger age, and our health also starts getting affected depending on how much attention we pay to it. We may become more fragile and forgetful, and no matter how careful we are our health may not be the same as it was in our twenties, and we may suffer some personal losses as older people around us die. This may make us more aware of our mortality. While this can be a very daunting realization, it can also act as a powerful motivator to do things that we like and live our lives to the fullest. Our increasing age can encourage us to take more risks and pursue our dreams, knowing that time is precious and not to be wasted.

Getting old offers some more privileges. We have a chance to use our acquired knowledge and wisdom for the benefit of our society. Through a lifetime of experience, we learn valuable lessons about how to navigate the world, and we can share this with others so that they benefit from our experience. If we keep our minds open, we develop a better and deeper understanding of ourselves and others and become better equipped to handle life's challenges. Passing on this wisdom to our younger generation can be a great source of satisfaction and fulfillment.  Many of us spend our younger years rushing from one thing to another, working like crazy to establish ourselves, always striving for success and accomplishment. Depending on our social and family background our struggles take very different paths, and many of us have to charter unknown paths to establish ourselves. But as we age, we learn to appreciate simple things in life and spend some quality time with our loved ones. As we age, we can also try to give back to our communities by volunteering, mentoring young people, or working toward causes we care about. For many, the realization that simple things in life can bring the greatest possible joy can be the biggest privilege of getting old. This sense of purpose and self-realization can be incredibly rewarding and can help us stay engaged and connected to others.

Old age also comes with different looks. Actually, we are supposed to look different at every stage of life, that's a natural process. As we grow old, we are supposed to become more comfortable in our skin. However, with constant brainwashing and stereotyping, most of us have been convinced that looking old is not cool. Most of us are convinced that we should consistently look younger than our age until we die, and looking old means looking sick or weak or whatever but not beautiful. This taboo associated with looking old has forced many to conceal their old-age looks. Especially, women are targeted for aging-related medical or cosmetic procedures. Because of all this, people go for cosmetic surgery or use medications to look younger than their actual age. I am not against using makeup or the desire to look beautiful, but I am against the notion that old is not beautiful and only the young can be beautiful. If this is not stereotyping age-related looks then I wonder what it is. People don't hesitate to display their wealth, knowledge, or heritage but they shy away from showing their age when there is nothing as natural as aging. So, be old and beautiful, and be comfortable about your own age and looks, after all, the world is moving towards more natural food, a natural way of living, then, why not more natural looks. 

Thank you for reading and please share your views on this topic. 

© Vinay Thakur, All rights reserved, Vinay can be reached at thevinay2022@gmail.com