Implicitly there is a sense that once this election is over we won’t have two old guys running for president anymore and younger people will take over. The problem with this is that there are many people at 75 or 80 who are more like 50 or 60 year olds used to be. You can see this in almost any old movie or newsreel. People look older than they do now.
What is elderly has been rapidly changing as modern medicine and better health practices have increased lifespans. Those who demonstrate this are still “outliers” and more fortunate than others, but their numbers are increasing as a population segment. At the same time we have young people in their 20s who now seem to be experiencing prolonged adolescence.
Clearly something has changed, as the stages of life seem to have revised significantly for many people. Thus, we may expect more older active lives, still contemporary and no longer perceived as elderly despite the years. With the “baby boomer” generation this population will be larger than ever. We can only hope that the wisdom that used to come with age is not a casualty of this increased dynamism.
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