Getting Older
On Aging
By Maya Angelou
When you see me sitting quietly,
Like a sack left on the shelf,
Don't think I need your
chattering. I'm listening to myself.
Hold! Stop! Don't pity me!
Hold! Stop your sympathy!
Understanding if you got it,
Otherwise I'll do without it!
When my bones are stiff and aching,
And my feet won't climb the stair,
I will only ask one favor:
Don't bring me no rocking chair.
When you see me walking, stumbling,
Don't study and get it wrong.
‘Cause tired don't mean lazy
And every goodbye ain't gone.
I'm the same person I was back then,
A little less hair, a little less chin,
A lot less lungs and much less wind.
But ain't I lucky I can still breathe in.
Two years ago yesterday, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth died, having served as monarch for 70 years. She was 96 and if King Charles held the same position for the same length of time, he would do so until he is 144. I suspect – but I could be wrong – that he won’t be King for quite that length of time. However, so far as we know, right up to the end of her reign, the Queen remained well-regarded by leaders across the world, not least for her wisdom and experience and the dedication with which she served.
Back in July, President Joe Biden became the first sitting US president in over half a century to choose not to seek re-election. After a challenging debate with Republican candidate and former president, Donald Trump, and pressure from within his party, Biden decided it was in the best interest of the Democratics and the America for him to step aside. At the point at which he withdrew from the presidential race there were mounting concerns about his age and declining popularity in the polls. Biden then endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his preferred successor and emphasized the importance of unity and passing the torch to a new generation. A lot can happen over the next two months before the American election on 5th November, but while the Democrats were behind the Republicans with Biden as leader, last week some national polls put Kamala Harris, ever so slightly ahead. We’ll see how things play out and history will judge whether Biden was right to do what he did.
There are of course, several examples of influential leaders who had their time, late in life.
• Nelson Mandela who did so much to end apartheid, became South Africa’s president at the age of 75 and served until he was 81.
• Winston Churchill was 65 when he became Prime Minister during World War II and he continued to be an influential figure in politics well into his 80s
• Mahatma Gandhi led India’s non-violent independence movement well into his 70s. while
• Ramses II, known as one of Egypt’s greatest pharaohs, ruled for over 65 years and lived to be around 90
Some might say that key to their apparent success was the experience that they had gathered over a lifetime which perhaps also added to their authority.
In the UK, retirement ages are rising, people are living longer and a 16-year-old today might well expect to work into their 70s. In Japan, the official retirement age is currently 65 but there have been recent attempts to raise it to 70. Nearly a third of the Japanese population is over 65, with all that means for the economy in Japan. There is a shortage of workers and companies increasingly rely on those who are older but make more and more use of technology. This would suggest that leaders could be older in the future too.
All of this made me reflect on how we view elderly both in society generally and any who are close to us, be that as relatives, neighbours and friends.
Firstly, to state the obvious, we will ourselves get older and we do well to think about how we would want to be treated. Would we want to be left to live the life that too many elderly currently have, with considerable amounts of time by ourselves? According to the charity Help the Aged, 1.4m older people in the UK regularly feel lonely…which is why that chat we might have with an elderly neighbour who lives on their own, might mean so much more than we think – indeed, it might be the only conversation they have that day.
Alternatively, how do we feel about living and working longer than our grandparents did? Do we see ourselves working in the same field for decades or more likely, will we have a variety of roles as the job market changes increasingly rapidly. The more we learn how to learn now, the greater the chance we will be able to adapt to the changing needs of the world later. Perhaps we will be a great leader well into our 80s
Some of us will have enjoyed listening to the stories of our grandparents and in times of difficulty, it may have been that they have been able to offer a different perspective. Someone once said that the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person. Despite any physical frailty they may have, their years of experience and perspective can be invaluable.
I remember meeting Sir Arthur Marshall, an aerospace engineer who lived until he was 103 having accomplished many things over his career, including designing the drooping nose for the supersonic passenger jet, Concorde. He worked a 7-day week until he retired at the age of 86 but continued to take an active interest in his companies long after that. He clearly enjoyed life and was far from a passive observer.
So finally, the poem Anya shared with us so well is called On Aging by the American poet, Maya Angelou. Essentially, it warns us not to pity or patronise the elderly but to remember that despite any change in appearance, they are still the same person on the inside, interested in and aware of what is going on around them with much to contribute. We do well to show concern for the older generations, to take time to learn from them and to value what they, like all of us, have to offer.