We say "Yes, old man" to our fathers when they ask of us an action, even though they may be in their 40s or early 50s and not necessarily decrepit. An 'old friend' might be a young girl barely having reached a spry 25 years. A kindergarten child would call another boy who is of age 10 "old" and be shy with them because of their perceived abundance of knowledge gained in the additional 2 years experience on the playground.
Here is my hypothesis as to why these seemingly unclear understandings of 'old' occur...What we call 'Old' is relative only to what we are comparing them/it to as well as in the degradation of capability or quality that that thing/person can provide . Let's me explain...
Old (in the aged perspective) - The first image that comes to mind when I think of an 'old person' is a guy just like what is in the photo above. Wrinkled, worn, gray, energy deprived.... having lived a life full of struggle and pressure, the worry lines having been deeply engraved into the spirit of his body. Another individual's mental image of a person who is old however may be a woman aged to 20 .. or 80 because they themselves are quite a lot younger or older than I . In a nutshell, the age of the individual who is being asked of their opinion will be the dictating factor for the age that they would term 'old'. (That was the simple part)
Old (in the capability or quality perspective) - An item purchased (inanimate) will be termed 'old' after it is used for some time... based on the frequency of use or if it degrades on its own (biological). However in terms of human capability, a person at age 50/60/70 years can be equally functional compared to a human at the age of 30. In addition, one who has lived many years probably has determined, through making his/her own mistakes, which errors to avoid. This makes them able to complete a job better and with more skill than a younger person. In this regard the subtly implied message of 'old' being a negative attribute is quite incorrect. "With age comes wisdom" as someone said, I completely agree with that and would like to tweak the line to "With age comes wisdom, patience, and peace".
What lesson to learn from this?
If one is going to judge another person (which I advise against doing in the first place), do so based on the actions of that person, rather than upon their appearance. The worth of an individual, in addition to their divinely inspired purpose, lies just as much in their POTENTIAL for positive action that could add quality to the human existence, as well as in what they have acted upon in the PAST. This potential for good remains until an individual is lost(dies) AND IS FORGOTTEN...forgotten mentioned with emphasis because even after a person passes away, their impact may continue to be beneficial in the memory of others, writings left behind, and physical relics to be discovered. It is only when a person's actions are forgotten, or impact on that which physically exists is no longer in use, that they can no longer provide benefit to a society. Nutshell: 'Old' is only bad when it can provide zero benefit. Zero benefits is only reached when all that exists is gone. At that point... no one will care because no one will be here....
As the old men we still remember, the old women we still admire, and the old junk we still play with...be nice to the old!
Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many. ~Author Unknown
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