What does it mean to age?
In our culture there is a focus on youth and staying young. We have little experience with later life, aging and wisdom until we get there. We have less and less contact with and often times too little understanding or respect for our elders in our society.
Please discuss the following: What does it mean to age? What is wisdom? Describe someone in your life who is wise. Does a number define us, say like “99” or “100” years of age? What vision do you have of later life and please describe the way this life looks.
Sample Solution
Aging is a natural process of growth and change that everyone experiences over the course of their lifetime. It is marked by physical, mental, and emotional changes which occur as we age. Physically, our bodies become less resilient to injury or illness as our muscle mass decreases and our bones grow weaker (Adler & Taylor 2020). Mentally, our capacity for memory, learning and reasoning may diminish due to age related cognitive decline (ibid.). Emotionally we experience a range of feelings from joy to sadness all while maintaining some sense of stability within ourselves as well as in relationships with others (Schutte 2020).
However, beyond this more obvious definition aging can also be seen as an emergence into wisdom. As people age they gain greater insight into life’s complexities through both experience and reflection which can give them a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them(Goldberg 2019). This wisdom allows one to better appreciate life’s beauty even during difficult times while also offering valuable advice to younger generations based on what they have learned throughout their own journey.
Overall, aging represents both physical decline and psychological growth; it marks a transition between stages in life where new opportunities arise alongside fresh challenges. Regardless of its various forms however, aging remains an essential part of human existence ultimately leading us towards greater wisdom if we choose to embrace it.(Kornhaber & Toy 2016)
