A Reflection on Aging and Self-Worth

I would lIke to take a moment to reflect on a common theme I find within my work with the geriatric population. 

When you look at the life cycle there are various ebbs and flows in regards to productivity and accomplishments. However, in general, for almost all people there comes a point when they are doing less and less and just being more and more.

This stage of life, and the realization of it, can be hard for many people. 

As one old timer with limited faculties told me, “We all want to get old but we don’t want to be old“. 

If life has any purpose, then all parts of life are part of the same system and deserve to be treated as important and relevant.

For a person who was productive and busy, it becomes a challenge to bear when things change and they are no longer able to be productive and hence no longer busy.

There are multiple factors that make it difficult. I would just like to point out one of them. 

This is partly due to our societal expectations that self worth is related to productivity. There are many people who feel they need to do something in order to justify their existence. This is so ingrained in our culture that it can be hard to think of it in other ways. 

Something to think about is that it’s worth reflecting on this before reaching that stage of life: how can we become more comfortable with simply being, rather than always doing?