“With old age comes wisdom.”
I have thoughts about this.
It’s a load of bollocks.
I’ll be 58 in October. Some doddering old fossils might well tell me that’s still young. Well, that’s bollocks too. 58 isn’t ancient—but it certainly isn’t young. No more than 60 is the new 40. I’ve yet to see a 60-year-old who looks 40. Even the ones who’ve had £150k deep-plane facelifts. This is all part of a particular brand of Age Copium (or “Age Positivity” if you prefer) which has proliferated in recent years. And, of course, the perfectly good intention is to make the bitter pill of decrepitude slightly easier to swallow.
“With old age comes wisdom” is a legacy example of the same thinking. The tone used to be more about romanticising the effects of old age—grey/white hair is called silver (a precious metal), wrinkles are not a sign of ever-nearing death but a proud display of experience and a life well-lived, and wisdom… oh, yes, old people are so endlessly wise. They know the score.
Nowadays, with “60 is the new 40” etc, the approach is to try to make being old seem rather cool, youthful and exciting. I actually think this is lamer than the legacy approach. Certainly more deluded.
So: do I feel I’ve acquired wisdom in my almost-58 years? Nope. Not in the least. I’ve acquired bitterness, cynicism, jadedness, impatience, disappointment, intolerance… I have cultivated a tendency to always expect the worst… but none of that counts as “wisdom”.
What I do have is saggy jowls and a slightly raddled neck.
Thank you very fucking much, old age.
If old people were so wise, they wouldn’t be such easy targets for the old, ‘good-old days’ argument, however much some aspects of the past retain their attraction. Getting slower and forgetting things are nothing to look forward to.
Chrissie,
Getting older is frustrating, but you have to take one day at a time. Every time frame in life has obstacles. I know my teenage years were not always the finest, and some days in the present are questionable.
My Mom used to say “don’t get old” when she was in her 80s. I always replied “What’s the Alternative?” and we both got a laugh.