Despicable

 

Irma wants some...GinnyLynni

Despicable: Deserving to be despised (Merriam-Webster).
Despised: 1. To look down on with contempt or aversion: DISDAIN, DETEST 2. To regard as negligible, worthless, or distasteful (Merriam-Webster).

How is it that in just one year of your life, from age 29-30, (or if you’re one who believes that your thirties are still your youth, from age 39-40), you can suddenly go from young and attractive to old and despised? You’ve spent all your life building up your character and finding yourself, in order to be the best you, you can and live the best life you can, only to have it all go to waste at society’s whelm of "old".

How come the cellulite of your youth, makes you look like a budding porn star or stripper when you're younger, but suddenly turns to disdain as you age? How come the balding or receding hairline of a baby makes him or her so cute and adorable, but turns to disdain as you age? How can the wrinkly, soft skin of a baby or a pug dog be looked at as cute and adorable but turn to disdain in the elderly? How come we praise the under eye dark circles and sunken eyes in young runway models, calling it distinguished or sheik, but despise it in older people? How come the dependence of a baby that is so cherished, welcomed and adored turns to disdain in your elder years?

How come an aging car, makes it a prize to the owner but is disdained in humans? How can aging wine, be the prize of a wine coinsure but be disdained in humans? How can an aging piece of art become so valuable to a collector but is disdained in humans? How come an aging monument or work of art, bring tourists from all over the world, but be disdained in humans? People wait hundreds of years for things to age in order to become more valuable, but disdain aging in humans.

It seems that we can look at aging in everything else as a gift or investment; as innocent or pure, as in nature and babies, however, when it comes to human life, we despise it, we mock it, and we shun it. Is it because our outlook on human life is so perverted, that it's only about sex? Why is it that we only value human life as long as it retains it’s youth and sex appeal? How can “old” be defined anyway? How come people say that “you can’t put a price on a life“ or “you can’t put a price on something rare or unique” yet we still continue to try put a price on "good"? After all, don’t we just get “better” with time? Haven’t some people even been able to maintain their beauty, fertility, sex appeal, youth and vigor, well into their mature years?

Isn’t “old” just a state of mind, just as acting “black” or acting “white” is just a state of mind? Isn’t “youth“ just the love and enjoyment of life? When a younger male or female has fertility problems, do we call them “old?” When a younger male or female has sexual incapacities, do we call them “old?’ When a younger male or female has gray hair, do we call them “old?” and when a younger male or female dies before us, do we call them “old?’ Isn’t is a fact that life is life, no matter the age, and that each us deserve respect for who we are and who we aspire to be?

I hope this reflection leaves all of us appreciating human life a bit more and serves to break down the barriers of ageism. Now run and hug the mature and elderly people in your life and let them know they are respected!

Thank you,

Venus



Reference:

Merriam, Webster. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary. USA: Merriam-Webster Inc.