Ageism Defeated By Hope

According to Henri: “One way of describing the way to the light is to call it a slow conversion from wishes to hope.  You wish ‘that’, you hope ‘in’.”  He explains that wishes are for concrete objects while hope is open ended and we believe we can fulfill our promises.  “Therefore, the conversion from wishes to … Read more

Ageism-The Way To TheLight

Henri says: “When we are able to cast off our fears and come close to the many who have grown old, we see old men and women telling stories to children with eyes full of wonder and amazement.”  He mentions Pope John and Mother Teresa, Rembrandt, Schweitzer, Einstein and Michelangelo as examples of ageless accomplishment … Read more

Ageism-Aging As A Way To The Light

If you have been a hardy soul, you have endured the previous blogs that scientifically document the potential to fall prey to the dark side of aging but take heart, there is an alternative.  Henri reminds us of Moses instructing his followers to: “Ask…of your elders, let them enlighten you.”  (Dr. 32:17).  Henri  states that those that can enlighten … Read more

Ageism-Loss of Self

According to Nouwen, as debilitating as segregation and desolation are in  creating “severe alienation in the elderly…the most destructive, is self-rejection.  This is the inner ostracism by which the elderly not only feel they are no longer welcome in the society of profit, or able to keep their small circle of intimate friends together, but … Read more

Desolation (ageism)

Let’s go back to the July 2 submission in which we disclosed that Henri believes that aging causes the elderly to feel ostracized due to three factors, “segregation, desolation and loss of self”.  We discussed segregation on July 2 and today we will deal with desolation.  Henri defines desolation as, “the crippling experience of the shrinking circle of … Read more

Dr. Robert Butler (ageism)

The world  lost a great champion against ageism with the death of Dr. Robert Butler earlier this month.  A psychiatrist who realized as a child that death was inevitable, he totally reinvented the treatment of the elderly through research and public policy.  It was Dr. Butler who coined the term “ageism” to describe discrimination against the … Read more

Proof (Ageism)

Yesterday, July 8th, on one of Chicago’s premier TV stations, NBC, three of Channel 5’s morning anchors engaged in an on-air verbal volley on the how ugly a shirtless picture of the octogenarian, Betty White would be. She was actually referred to as eliciting a vision of the “California Raisin”. It isn’t about Betty, she is … Read more

Segregation

Henri contents that the feelings of segregation,desolation and loss of self are legitimate feelings in the aging process and need to be addressed. He states that Claire Townend describes old age as, “the last segregation”. He contends that this is because civilization considers “doing” and “having” more important than “being”. “Our desire to acquire a … Read more

Psalm 31

Rejection of aging and the aged is not new to our generation.  Psalm 31 proves that it it is passed on from generation to generation: Take pity on me,  Yahweh, I am in trouble now. Grief wastes away my eye, my throat, my inmost parts. For my life is worn our with sorrow, my years with sighs; My strength … Read more

Dangers and Possiblilites of Aging

Henri asks us to see the elderly as our teachers…”the ones who tell us about the dangers as well as the possibilites in becoming old”…they will be able to show us that aging is not only a way to darkness but also  a way to light.”  Nouwen contends that in taking care of the elderly, … Read more