Monday Meditation
the task of old age
There is no shame in admitting that you can’t do what you once did, because you are old. I’m 70 years old. I’ve run 6 marathons and multiple half-marathons around the world at a good clip. I’ve climbed several fourteeners, and so on and so on. Walking is now more than fine. Life is a series of necessary adaptations to physical and mental reality. None of this is easy on the mind. Yet, refusing to admit to the limitations of age, and adapt to a new reality, is not wise; it’s foolish. The wisdom of aging is gaining the agility to adapt to new circumstances, using newly acquired skills and letting go of what no longer is possible.
When I retired (sort of), it was, in part, to make room for a younger generation of pastors to step into leadership. Stepping aside is no shame. Being old is no shame. There remain gifts and experience to share with a new generation. It seems to me that this stage of generativity is the thing that is being forgotten when older people refuse to step aside.
It was Erik Erickson, a child psychoanalyst, who developed a theory of socio-developmental stages of life. These stages, containing skills and adaptations that he considered necessary for human well-being, concluded in the last stage of integrity of the self. This integrity was visible as wisdom. Its counterpart is despair. It seems to me that one option for President Biden is to embrace the role of a wise elder-leader. He could resign from the Presidency or finish this term, and step into a new role with vigor corresponding to his age and stage of life. We need old people who have integrity, and the desire to impart wisdom to younger leaders. As for old Donald Trump, Erik Erickson argued that it was necessary to successfully accomplish the psychological tasks of each stage to enter the final stage without despair. One can debate Erickson on this point, but it seems clear that Trump is in no position to pass on deeply acquired wisdom to another generation.
Rodrigo is 30 years younger than I am, and a new friend in Mexico. He’s also an excellent birder.