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Have Seniors Become Their Own Worst Enemy?

November 18, 2016 By Sig Cohen 2 Comments

 
I used to like being told I look great for my age. It was a super ego-booster, made me feel special. But what did that remark really mean? It meant that the person making the remark has a stereotypical view of what older people SHOULD look like. And I didn’t fit their stereotype. It wasn’t really a compliment. It was a remark tainted with prejudice.

Seniors need to stop thinking and acting as if their age limits them.It wasn’t until I began reading This Chair Rocks by Ashton Applewhite* that the scourge of ageism in America became crystal clear. Our society is awash in it. Not only is there a psychological bias against older adults, the scourge has even infected the minds of many older Americans. And who is proof of this? Me. Yes, me. And I’m not alone. I would estimate that thousands of seniors have the same mindset: Age is less.

How many of us self-relegate our post-employment lives to looking for things to do, relying on others to initiate activities, and resigning ourselves to lives of inaction, dependency, and ‘keeping busy’? True, many seniors are limited due to illness, care-giving responsibilities, and financial issues.

But others of us “olders” (to use Applewhite’s term) have internalized ‘ageism’ and may be using this stereotypical mindset against ourselves. Are we becoming our worst enemies, by inducing a mentality of self-limitation, self-denial, even self-diminishment? I recently saw a play about three inner-city, African American, teenage girls wrestling with whether to become teenage moms; possibly continuing a cycle of low income, one-parent families, and likely curtailing their education. How many ‘olders’ do something similar, i.e., accept the notion that their time has passed?

I went through this: As I circle the landing field of ‘octogeno-land,’ I’ve been considering starting a free mediation project in my neighborhood. Should I or shouldn’t I? Like many communities, differences between neighbors can erupt into toxic standoffs. Why not make available a mediation service that offers neighbors a way to resolve their disputes consensually and amicably?

Much of my hesitation was age-based. My interior dialogue kept asking, “Am I too old to begin such an initiative?” After weeks of to-ing and fro-ing, I’m glad to report that I’ve gone public with the project.

Will it work out? I haven’t a clue. But at least I took the risk. Thank you, Ashton Applewhite.

* Networked Books, 2015
 
 
Sig Cohen
Sig Cohen
Beyond Dispute Associates
202-359-6141
www.toughconversations.net
sigcohen@toughconversations.net
 

© Sig Cohen and Beyond Dispute Associates, 2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Sig Cohen and Beyond Dispute Associates with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

 

Filed Under: Blog, Communication, Community Tagged With: aging, communication, Mediation, Point of View, Sig Cohen

Comments

  1. M. Jane Markley says

    November 30, 2016 at 10:07 am

    Great article Sig. Sometimes the worst things are things we do to ourselves!! This is a great reminder that there is much we can do and the time to start is ‘now’! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  2. Nancy Radford says

    November 30, 2016 at 10:36 am

    Thanks for yet another thought provoking and inspiring article.

    Reply

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