Only the good die old

We are hypocrites. Or maybe fools. That is, I think we make the weirdest choices regarding the values that rule our lives. \nI have recently been in a seminar where I heard an interesting point about the sad fact that we have to have fictional characters such as Yoda, Gandalf and Dumbledore representing the morality and the authenticity of the heart, since we rarely find such wisdom in real life. \nI wonder why we have to seek fictional wise men. Why can't we value the real ones? When did we make the foolish decision that old is bad? Why do we fear it so much? Given that the alternative to aging is death, it strikes me as our collective denial of this inexorable fact.\nI once read in somebody's e-mail signature: "Time is a concept created by carbon-based forms of life used to measure their own decay." I thought it was funny. It got me wondering that after the thousands of years around, we would have figured out a way to actually appreciate the cycle of life, instead of trying to pretend that it is just not happening. \nThere are, of course, cultures that value the elderly. It seems that most Asian cultures see oldness as wisdom, and respect it. Western cultures, however, chose to simply hide their aging people in places where they can stay out of the way. Ah, we then named those places "retirement homes," or some other nice name like that. This all occurs under the assumption that old people should live with old people and let the youth bloom free of hindrance.\nOr, is it hindrance? Are we actually better off without old people giving us advice -- by not listening to those who already made and learned from the same mistakes that we will make? Is the world changing so much that it becomes a waste of time to stop and hear what older people have to say, under the pretext that it won't apply in our modern context? Should we assume that old people must not waste our precious time by asking us about the technological wonders and resources of modern life?\nI am not sure, but the only reason I see to deny aging is probably related to our praise of beauty. Not that it is wrong in itself, but we actually value appearance over anything else.\nMaybe I don't need an example for this, but if you ever watched the movie "Catch Me If You Can," you saw how people let themselves be manipulated by the looks of a well-groomed person.\nIt is interesting to read, for example, all the stories about aging couples who are linked by a vain physical attraction, hoping their spouses will not lose their attractiveness, as opposed to learning how to age together. \nI have even heard famous people say they would rather die young to make a pretty cadaver -- famous people who, by the way, make their living by looking good. \nI believe it is a big mistake to ignore the treasure of the wisdom that is surrounding us, and I do think that sometimes the dramatic concern over appearances eclipses each individual's worth.\nAnd let's not forget that, whether we like it or not, we too will be old someday.