Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Norma Roth, author of
Aging Gracefully with Dignity, Integrity & Spunk: Aging Defiantly wonders what is taking the world so long to put into practice many of thoughts and theories relating to aging that
Erik Erikson and his wife
Joan Erikson discuss in Vital Involvement in Old Age, and in the widely acclaimed work
The Life Cycle Completed (Extended Version) with new chapters on the a ninth stage of the human life cycle by Joan Erikson.
Pulitzer Prize Winner Erik Erikson posited the theory that older people could and should be involved in life—in fact, "vitally involved"—throughout the full spectrum of life, which even during the time he wrote was becoming longer with people living into the 90's! The Eriksons began to see the older years as simply another stage: new goals, new plans, new ambitions...but nevertheless a full life.
Roth has been writing about this very topic for years and it is highlighted in her book, Aging Gracefully with Dignity, Integrity & Spunk Intact: Aging Defiantly. Roth set out to develop a practical road map for those who seek to have that full participation in the life throughout their lives. She asserts that we have been all too willing to play a game that more and more does not comport with scientific and med medical facts, and along the way Ms. Roth's debunks the myths of aging.
How often do people retire and seem to just fade away, with no purpose to their life and reason to keep their brains engaged in the process the mind atrophies away. Of course this does not always happen, but it must be considered and Aging Defiantly squarely confronts the notions of traditional senior life head on, positing a number of practical tips to enable those entering "that age" as well as the current Silver Generation to chart a course that will be meaningful, significant and satisfying, including "Tips to Keep People off Your Back."
In the first part of her book, Roth addresses the occurrence of common worrisome situations. As the
NY Strand wrote in its review: "The engaging guide helps mature adults deal with the complications of aging. Inside you'll find advice, tips, understanding and hints on how to get people off your back, including: If you can't remember a word—use a smaller word; if you can't remember what you ate today—switch the subject, if an interruption caused you to lose your train of thought—stop letting people interrupt you and more."
Another reviewer wrote: "Attitudes towards growing old have to be revisited and changed...fear of aging and panic that accompanies it should be met head on...with a plan of attack." Certainly not a new strategy for baby boomers nor for those of the Silver Generation, who like Erikson and his wife Joan, began in the late 20th Century to see wisdom and integrity as lifelong developing processes (enlarged when one enters "that age"!) But, the author says, in view of the excess concern about aging prevalent today, planning and charting a course for the 55+ group is in need of a "jump-start."
Today, as both the Silver Generation and the baby boomers begin to see a very different horizon and infinitely more active life for themselves as they enter "that age," than society has seem to preordain for them vastly outdated social patterns must be replaced with truths about the potential limitless opportunities for people as they get older.
In the second part of the book, another reviewer notes "Roth offers a detailed list of techniques offering this generation simple useful skills to use in aging boldly yet gracefully" –and, Ms. Roth adds with spunk and where needed defiantly. She urges people to go on Treasure Hunts for strengths—ignoring, but compensating for weaknesses—and discover a storage system within the brain, which she calls Personal Retrieval Systems, where not only data is stored all your lives but can be accessed and built upon as well. "Best of all, she teaches that self-respect is an important tool in maintaining a good image. The author encourages self-recognition of a lifetime of experience which can invaluable in their empowerment."
Roth's contribution is to give practical and specific ways in which the Silver Generation and those now entering that age (the baby boomers—first of whom reaches 65 in early 2011) the tools to debunk the old patterns (society is wrong!) and create new and original lifestyle ( the next cycle of life) where, as stated in the Extended Edition of
Erikson's The Life Cycle Completed, the "contributions that might come as a surprise from this newly emerging group" – bolding asserting "the ultimate capacities of the aging person are not yet determined." And who, Roth asks can argue with that in this new age of science, medicine and technology whose forecast of longevity and health are already visible in our world of today.
With healthy bodies and healthy minds being forecast for the people of the 21st Century and longevity and health, Aging Gracefully with Dignity, Integrity & Spunk Intact;
Aging Defiantly serves as a useful primer to the begin the challenge of fulfillment of those "ultimate capacities" of a dynamic new baby boomer generation entering "that age," and a Silver Generation who have already begun to look towards new, enlarged and dynamic lives in the 21st Century. Aging Gracefully helps to get there.
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