AGE WELL: Time to start the positive aging movement

Michele Cauch

Why are we so afraid of aging? It fills us with dread and anxiety.

Why are we afraid of getting older and meeting the challenges and changes aging brings? We have been led to believe that youth is beautiful, desirable and should be the standard by which to compare everything.

Air-brushed models sell us lotions, creams and potions. Fight the wrinkles, dye the hair, stop the clock - our attitudes toward aging have been negative, unnatural and narrow-minded for such a long time.

By contrast, it's amazing to see all the new research in the field of aging.

Innovative research, scientific breakthroughs and discoveries that contribute to healthy aging and independent lifestyles are making news headlines more often. New information has shed light on old ideas and corrected many outdated stereotypes with respect to aging such as sexuality, social and emotional well-being, and physical and cognitive health.

The Positive Aging Movement

We've arrived at a rather interesting point in human existence. Never before in history has the global population been turned upside down. But the fact is the 65+ demographic will soon become 15 per cent of the world population. And faced with these social statistics, much will change in the immediate future.

Now's the time to jump on the bandwagon. We've lived through many social movements in history. We've witnessed the civil rights movement, women's movement, students' movement and the separatist movement. It's time to start a new movement - the positive aging movement. It's time to shift our way of thinking and bring greater awareness and acceptance of aging.

This positive aging trend will develop on its own anyway, but we can help spur it on.

For it to really take effect and root itself in our collective subconscious, we need to start with ourselves first and ground our personal beliefs.

What does positive aging mean to you? How can you help others change their attitudes toward aging? What is the change you want to see in the world and what is the change you want to make in your own life?

Visit next month to learn more.

Originally published on Inside Toronto
http://www.insidetoronto.com/community/life/article/1294828--age-well-time-to-start-the-positive-aging-movement