perspectives on ageing
Sometimes, I find myself worrying about getting older and leaving the 20s behind. And so I talked to my friends and found that this seems to be a universal feeling. Besides the fear of getting older, there’s also excitement and hope about emotional and financial stability, about settling and creating a family, and about becoming wiser through experiences and self-discovery.
So what’s behind this ambiguity of ageing?
The 20s are exciting. We feel independent and free, we have endless opportunities, the world lies at our feet, and the next adventure is just around the corner. We have emancipated ourselves from our parents and experience more stable relationships with our friends and partners. And then there’s this omnipresent pressure we feel. We are expected to manage everything effortlessly and carefree, to enjoy what older people say is “the best time of your life”. We have to “go wild”, and strive to fill our camera rolls with unforgettable memories and share them on social media to show everyone that we fit in.
What no one tells you: some of us are struggling to finish their studies, some don’t know what career path to pursue or how to find a job in the first place. Some can’t afford vacations and the fancy clothes we see on instagram. Some work a 50h week and don’t have time to check in with their friends. Some go to therapy but don’t feel “mentally stable” after. Some wonder if their current partner is “the one” and some just got back from their second bumble date this week.
I realised that most of my worries stem from external expectations. Society wants us to tick boxes before we reach a certain age. We constantly compare our current path with these standards. But what if we adapt a different perspective? What if we free ourselves from the expectations society has for us?
I started wondering if these worries fall silent once we get older. What perspective do older adults have on ageing? Would they want to go back to “the best time of their life” if they had the choice? My preliminary conclusion: However old we get, life will create unforgettable memories and we will be faced with difficult challenges that we learn from. We will have different things to look forward to, but our will to learn and grow won’t expire once we turn 60.
What are your thoughts on this? Connect with us by commenting on this post!
Side quest of the week
Start a conversation with someone from the older generation (your parents, grandparents…) and ask them about their perspective on ageing. Here are a few questions to get the conversation going:
Are you happy with your current age?
If you could choose to be any age for the rest of your life, how old would you want to be?
What are you looking forward to in 10 years from now?
What stereotype about your age group do you disagree with?
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