Expendable after 40?!

[coberst]

Expendable after 40?!

 

What is the “commercial value” of an object of great consumption but little production?

 

For a period of some two hundred years America had an every moving new frontier. One of the appeals of this ever-present frontier was the sense that there was always a place for the rugged individualist. A place existed for the individual who was enthused about the prospect of uninhibited growth where each individual could test his or her capacity to be all they could be. No one had an edge over the other person beyond character and motivation.

 

Darwin’s theory teaches us that mating and reproduction is the means whereby the species adapted to a changing environment and thereby created the possibility for survival of the species. Generally speaking the human species stops this procreation process before the age of forty. Biological evolution provides little means for adaptation in our species beyond forty years of age.

 

Human instrumental rationality has created a technology that continually increases the longevity of individuals of our species. Instrumental rationality is the ability to determine and execute the best means for reaching an established goal. We have determined the goal of ever extending life to be a valuable goal and are constantly extending human longevity.

 

Simultaneously with an extended life span we are continually shortening the social value of longevity. Like the rest of our commodities we have a throwaway culture for long-lived persons. Our society seems to mimic biological evolution in placing forty years as the beginning of the end of adaptability. Biological evolution terminates concern for those beyond the age of reproduction and our culture terminates concern for those beyond the age of commodity production.

 

Biological adaptation has abandoned us after forty, our instrumental rationality is responding to our unexamined desire to prolong life; how do we mange to survive as a species if we do not find a rational means to engage this challenge? The challenge is to create the societal value of human life after forty.

 

Where is the ever-moving frontier of expectations for the man or woman beyond the age of forty? Is age beyond forty to remain the beginning of a throw-away social value?

 

If you quibble about the number forty you may use fifty or sixty or seventy if you feel better about it.

[Tormod]

Don't they say that life starts at 40?

 

Frankly, being 35 does not make me fear the next decades. If anything, life will get better. The kids will grow up and I willl become more experienced. I think the value of a human being increases as time passes. No, I don't mean value as in dollars and cents, but as usefulness and as a tool for society.

 

The way we treat our old is a shame.

[C1ay]

Never seek the advise of a wise old sage that is only 30 something. Like good wine, sages get better with age....

[Turtle]

Where is the ever-moving frontier of expectations for the man or woman beyond the age of forty? Is age beyond forty to remain the beginning of a throw-away social value?

 

If you quibble about the number forty you may use fifty or sixty or seventy if you feel better about it.

 

didn't start painting until she was 80. :)

[coberst]

Don't they say that life starts at 40?

 

Frankly, being 35 does not make me fear the next decades. If anything, life will get better. The kids will grow up and I willl become more experienced. I think the value of a human being increases as time passes. No, I don't mean value as in dollars and cents, but as usefulness and as a tool for society.

 

The way we treat our old is a shame.

 

I am trying to awaken an understanding that our high tech society provides us with longevity, the question then is how do we utilize that longevity.

 

My answer is that if we prepare properly we can offer to society wisdom in our later years. Unfortunately people have the idea that learning ends when schooling ends. I seek to awaken people to the necessity and opportunity of self-actualizing self-learning that becomes especially valuable as we age.

 

Actually I think we give too much to the old and too little to the very young. I am 72 and can say such things without being considered to be unfeeling for the old.

[Turtle]

I am trying to awaken an understanding that our high tech society provides us with longevity, the question then is how do we utilize that longevity.

 

My answer is that if we prepare properly we can offer to society wisdom in our later years. Unfortunately people have the idea that learning ends when schooling ends. I seek to awaken people to the necessity and opportunity of self-actualizing self-learning that becomes especially valuable as we age.

 

You might want to look into the AARP Just because oldsters aren't in the news much does not mean they are withering away doing nothing. In interviews I have seen with centenarians the common factor they attribute to long life is staying active, both physically and mentally.:cup:

[Tormod]

Actually I think we give too much to the old and too little to the very young. I am 72 and can say such things without being considered to be unfeeling for the old.

 

I disagree completely. You are generalizing to the extreme about every person over 40 (or 50, 60 or whatever you choose as you mentioned in your first post).

 

I spend most of my free time being a father of two (well, and hanging out here) and think that the young get plenty.

 

However, here in Norway, the social services offered for young kids (kindergarten, schools) are unprioritized just like caring for the old. So I'd say they're both treated equally bad when they should have equal levels of attention.

 

Having lived a long life should not disqualify anyone from living a good life, or at least have the chance.

[coberst]

Tormod says—“ Having lived a long life should not disqualify anyone from living a good life, or at least have the chance.”

 

I believe it was Socrates who said “the unexamined life is not worth living” so we see that the definition of the good life depends on one’s value system. In the US we are so obsessed with maximizing production and consumption that we generally place little value on the examined life. I disagree with that assessment but I am definitely in the minority. Considering what happened to Socrates I guess Athens did not share his view.

 

In the US we have Medicare that takes pretty good care of the health of the elderly. We have nothing like it for children. In the US we treat our children very shabbily.

[Freddy]

There is a growing epidemic of age related job discrimination, beginning at age 40, that is being recognized by US courts. More and more people are suing employers for wrongful termination due to age discrimination and many are winning. It is common for those over 40 to lose their jobs and be replaced by younger workers at lower wages and healthcare costs.

[coberst]

I think that most, if not all, societies today have more information and knowledge than is required and they have far less understanding and wisdom than is required.

 

Societies today have an aching need for persons with understanding and wisdom. It is these two very important intellectual qualities that are missing; which older people can provide if they have the character, will, and caring necessary to do so.

 

I think that today few older citizens are capable of supplying these two needs because they did not prepare themselves for this demand when they were younger.

 

In the summer of 48 my older brother told me that if I wanted to play high school football I had to ‘get ready’. In his terms, ‘getting ready’ meant running to get in condition for the rigors of football practice.

 

In the summer of 06 I want to begin the quest for wisdom. How do I ‘get ready’ for becoming wise?

 

Starting with the definition of wisdom as “seeing life whole” seems to be as good a place to begin as I can think of. How do I get ready to see life whole?

 

It seems to me that to see life whole I must learn a great deal more than I already have learned but I must start with where I presently am. I am convinced that learning new stuff requires three aspects of mind; mentally I must have curiosity, caring, and an orderly mind.

 

I claim that curiosity and caring are necessary conditions for understanding. Understanding is a far step beyond knowing. I will not examine a matter for the purpose of understanding it unless I am curious about it. I must care enough about the matter to do the intellectual work necessary to understand.

 

Understanding is a step beyond knowing and is seldom required or measured by schooling. Understanding is generally of disinterested knowledge, i.e. disinterested knowledge is an intrinsic (due to the nature of the self) value. Disinterested knowledge is not a means but an end. It is knowledge I seek because I desire to know it. I mean the term ‘disinterested knowledge’ as similar to ‘pure research’, as compared to ‘applied research’. Pure research seeks to know truth unconnected to any specific application.

 

Understanding is often difficult and time consuming and the justification is not extrinsic (outside cause) but intrinsic.