Strange as it sounds, I actually had to look up the word "ageism." Before hitting the dictionary, though, I figured that with the suffix of "ism" the definition would be similar to "racism," only instead of bias against race, it would mean "bias against age." Amazingly, I was right. Do I win a prize? No? I'm too old you say. Well, take me to Denny's so I can get my senior discount on dinner.
All right, let me serious up here. I never really gave this much thought because I've never had anyone make assumptions about me because of my age, real or perceived. Not to my face, anyway. While this is a problem for many, let me tailor this essay to what I personally experience from day to day. Having been out of work for nearly five years and having had little luck in finding employment, I have to wonder whether companies are tossing me aside because they think I'm too old. While I can't prove that I've had any bias against me because of my age, many times I probably have.
Until recently, I've always looked younger than I really am. Not smoking or drinking or doing any "hearty partying" was likely a factor there. But those gray hairs started to appear at about age 39. Shaving off my beard in 1999 at age 40 took a few years off of my age, so said a number of people, and losing the gray that had started to appear helped. Now I'm in job search mode. Apparently, employers are looking for 25-year-olds with 30 or more years of experience so they can bring them on and pay them less. At least it seems that way.
These days, I'm fighting a chronic disease (Type 2 diabetes) that can sap the youth right out of you. Whereas people used to guess my age at five to ten years younger than I was, now I'm getting guesses going the other way.
What may be saddest of all is that older people in this country are not held in high regard—too many people think that those folks are old, tired, and should be put out to pasture. Once again, I bring up Japan. In that country, older people are respected by all for their experience in life. They are treasured for their wisdom and experience as younger people can learn a lot from them.
I may be getting old on the outside, but I'm thankful that my heart and mind are still young. Even now at the "ripe old" age of 56, I can still get on a roller coaster and enjoy the ride. Most importantly, I laugh easily and can still make others laugh. Laughter is indeed the best medicine and will keep you young, provided you're willing to keep on laughing.
Age is just a number. We'd best not even take that into account when dealing with people. Take them at face value. Because when you least expect it, someone "too old" or "too young" just might surprise you. Or shock you. Or maybe even leave you in tears...
Tomorrow I'll talk about a fruit that I dislike and I'll even tell you why. Stay tuned...
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