As we approach autumn, let’s consider the “autumn” of life and the harvest of wisdom it brings. Here in America, we do little to honor longevity with social rituals. The unspoken (and sometimes spoken!) attitude is that the loss of youth is a bad thing. What’s there to celebrate about getting wrinkles, gray hair, frail bones, and memory problems?
Unfortunately, the culture that devalues aging as a loss of youth is fertile ground for creating brain disorders as a self-fulfilling prophecy. It’s time we celebrate the good news about aging.
WISDOM IS THE UPSIDE OF AGING
Our wisdom flows from our memories of life experience, guiding us to balance the conflicting needs of “me” and “we.” Our brains are built to get better with age as they record our life story for a golden harvest of shared wisdom.
Wisdom is the quality of having experience, applying knowledge, and using good judgment for the common good, be it a relationship, family, or society. Wisdom prefers stories to lectures, empathy to apathy, hope to despair, and practice to theory. Knowledge tries to predict the future, while wisdom tries to protect the next generation.
Most importantly, wisdom is what makes us socially useful beyond age 60, and keeps our brains growing too. In the U.S., increasing numbers of people are living longer and finding new ways to help others and stay healthy. Perhaps you know some of them, or are even one of them! But all too often, longevity and wisdom receive little acclaim in America.
WISDOM BRINGS NEW POSSIBILITIES
By contrast, Japan’s cultural attitude about aging is affirmation of wisdom rather than disdain for the loss of youth. Japanese elders are honored with longevity celebrations at certain birthdays. They have nine special birthday celebrations between ages 60 and 100!
For example, the Japanese give the 60th birthday particular attention as the beginning of a person’s second childhood. Known as kanreki, a return to calendar, this birthday marks a turning point: the end of one full 60-year Asian zodiac cycle and the beginning of a second 60-year cycle. On the kanreki birthday, the individual is born again, with the wisdom of an elder and the possibilities of a newborn baby. A celebration with special food and clothes defines this social ritual.
Perhaps this cultural appreciation of longevity contributes to Japan’s success in building SuperAgers: people who live long and well after age 80. Japan has one of the highest life expectancy rates and one of the lowest rates of Alzheimer’s in the world. On the other hand, the U.S. ranks 35 in the world for life expectancy (United Nations Human Development Report, 2019), and has a relatively high rate of Alzheimer’s.
ELDERS OFFER STRENGTH AND GUIDANCE
Since this is such a game-changing year, let’s change how we recognize longevity. Valuing longevity with special celebrations will help us all to be proud of our age and find new ways to share our wisdom.
We have the perfect opportunity to get started this month! In 1978, National Grandparents Day was instituted as a holiday observed on the first Sunday after Labor Day, which is September 13 this year. The purpose of the holiday is to honor grandparents and children become aware of the strength, information, and guidance older people can offer. An autumn date was chosen to recognize that grandparents are in the autumn of their lives.
If you are not an official grandparent, don’t worry, you are still a “grandparent.” The Japanese link their celebrations to achieving certain ages, rather than your family role. This important practice acknowledges that the village as well as the family needs elders. Many families do not have any living grandparents, so they need to get their elder wisdom from someone else.
8 WAYS TO CELEBRATE WISDOM
Someday, we will be able to celebrate Grandparents Day, or Longevity Day, with a large gathering or party. In the meantime, use your wisdom to think of how to celebrate in a small group or at a distance. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Contact younger friends, family, or staff and let them know why they matter to you.
- Share some family stories or albums with loved ones.
- Write down some memories of your own grandparents, and what you learned from them
- Send a thank-you card or gift to someone who has shared wisdom with you.
- Exchange views about the benefits of longevity with a circle of friends.
- Make a list of your 5 most important life lessons, and find ways to share them.
- Make a list of your longevity heroes (elder celebrities or acquaintances you admire) and tell others about them.
- Perform a self-assessment of how your wisdom is developing.
Every day of living increases the yield from your golden harvest of wisdom to share with others. Enjoy your longevity and wisdom. Autumn is the best time of the year and the best time of life!
