I watched this Lifetime original movie, called Write and Wrong, starring Kirstie Alley. It was hilarious, but depicted a sad state of affairs. Ageism. Where the older you get, the less anyone wants to have anything to do with you. I’ve noticed this in movies and TV shows: youth. Young faces, young bodies, everywhere. The claim is the marketed demographic, but somehow I don’t believe all of it (I do know there is a demographic marketed to in movies and TV, but I think there’s a little more to it, not to mention here ARE other demographics...). I don’t claim to know all the inner workings of Hollywood, but I do have some opinions regarding Human Nature. I know how Humans love to feel part of a group. An exclusive group. And feel that many older individuals might be, oh, a tad outdated and inflexible. That the young feel invincible, able to pivot on a dime and make snap decisions. In my twenties I was ready to save the world, and do it fast and efficiently.
Of course I’m making generalizations. Just bear with me.
Part of being young is that fast-and-hot-burning fire in the belly. Maybe there’s a reason why most young people don’t own and drive fast cars (though that DOES seem to be changing). A reason why, for the most part, it takes a lifetime to earn lots of money to spend it on said fast cars (that also seems to be changing). Did you know that the Human brain is not even FULLY DEVELOPED until age 25? Think about that for spell. Relive some of those decisions you made back then. Yeah, pretty amazing isn’t it? I firmly believe there’s a reason for why things are the way they are.
And Humans are afraid of a LOT of things. One of those fears is death. The unknown. What really happens? Well, pick your belief system. No one can even agree on just what happens after we leave this Earth (accept for NASA). If we really knew, there wouldn’t be all this disagreement, because absolutely EVERYONE would know, beyond a shadow of a doubt. Enter FEAR.
Being young and fiery, you think you’re gonna live forever. Dying is for OTHER PEOPLE. Yeah, you’re different. Indestructible. Your head is in the sand, and a cure for death will be found in your lifetime, and you’ll stay so damn hip and in shape you’ll never have back problems, need reading glasses, nor a hearing aid (THAT will be one HUGE booming business in the coming years, you watch--buy stock!). Fast and loud, baby!
But we all have to leave this world somehow, sometime, and many don’t want to be reminded about it. It’s part of the deal, the fine print many don’t want to read (and when they don’t even need reading glasses to do so). But I also feel that youth is so busy DOING. Getting OUT there. And I don’t think there is necessarily anything wrong with that. It’s all part of Life, though I hope that will change with awareness and education (and I think there IS a Zen rule applying here, as well...see Part II). Soon enough, though, they will all be in larger, more comfortable shoes, complete with arch supports...
