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Tag Archives: older adults
Ageism Through the Ages
Ageism is prejudice or discrimination against those who are middle-aged or elderly. Psychiatrist Robert Neil Butler coined the term in 1969, but of course ageism existed well before that. What attitudes did people have toward the elderly a hundred or … Continue reading
Posted in Culture
Tagged ageism, aging, attitudes, elderly, faith, history, older adults
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Doing, Being, and the Flu
There is doing. . . and there is being. Sometimes we are in the doing mode. There are checklists of things to accomplish, requirements someone expects us to meet. We keep our noses to the grindstone, our eyes on the … Continue reading
Posted in Body, Psyche
Tagged adulthood, aging, Bill Thomas, elderly, older adults, retirement, sickness, work
2 Comments
What To Hope For Now?
On her blog “Everyone Has a Story,” Bird recently wrote about hope in midlife. She notes that in childhood, we all had hopes for what we would be when we grew up, in our twenties our hopes had to do … Continue reading
Posted in Psyche, Relationships, Spirit
Tagged adulthood, aging, elderly, faith, maturity, older adults, wishes
2 Comments
Maturity and Wisdom: Lessons from King Lear
Adults supposedly gain wisdom as they age, but there are plenty of exceptions. Shakespeare’s King Lear is certainly one of these. As I wrote earlier, Lear foolishly elicits exaggerated professions of love from his daughters, disinheriting the one who is … Continue reading
Posted in Psyche
Tagged aging, elderly, madness, maturity, older adults, Shakespeare, wisdom
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“45 Years” and Past Selves
I caught a showing of the movie 45 Years over the weekend. A couple–Kate (Charlotte Rampling) and Geoff (Tom Courtenay)–are preparing to celebrate 45 years of marriage when a letter related to Geoff’s past threatens to derail their relationship. The letter … Continue reading
Posted in Psyche, Relationships, Uncategorized
Tagged aging, alternate selves, loss, marriage, movies, older adults, self, self-awareness
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The Old Fool: Lessons from King Lear
I recently wrote about the relationship between Shakespeare’s King Lear and his daughters. The behavior of Lear and his two eldest daughters demonstrate how family members shouldn’t treat one another. There’s much more to learn from King Lear than the problems that can occur between parents … Continue reading
Posted in Psyche, Relationships
Tagged aging, folly, foolishness, maturity, older adults, Shakespeare
2 Comments
Disrespectful Adult Children: Lessons from King Lear
In an earlier post I wrote about Shakespeare’s King Lear, looking at the king’s interactions with his daughters. Lear promised to distribute his kingdom to his daughters if they would profess great love for him. Goneril and Regan, the two … Continue reading
Posted in Relationships
Tagged adult children, aging, Goneril, Lear, older adults, Regan, respect, Shakespeare
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Parenting Adult Children: Lessons from King Lear
In November I saw a Calvin College production of Shakespeare’s King Lear. Intrigued, I then read the play. Lear is elderly and wishes to step aside from the burdens of ruling. He has three daughters and plans to divide his kingdom among … Continue reading
Posted in Relationships
Tagged aging, conditional love, elderly, elderly parents, love, manipulation, older adults, parenting, Shakespeare
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“Mr. Holmes”–A Reflection
This isn’t a review, but a reflection. The movies that intrigue me do so because they explore questions like how we should live our lives, what makes for good (and bad) relationships, and how we come to be made whole … Continue reading
Posted in Psyche, Relationships
Tagged aging, elderly, maturity, memory, movies, older adults, self-awareness, Sherlock Holmes
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“I Grow More Intense as I Age.”
In earlier posts I discussed a passage in George Eliot’s novel The Mill on the Floss in which Eliot suggested that, compared to the young, the middle-aged are “half-passionate” while the elderly are “merely contemplative,” that is, without any passion at … Continue reading
Posted in Psyche, Spirit
Tagged aging, elderly, Florida Scott-Maxwell, meaning, older adults
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Beyond Halfway 