Aging fools
May 11, 2011For ages, aging created contradictory attitudes: wisdom or deterioration? Bliss or burden? But regardless of potential differences in our opinions, one of a few things that we can be certain in this life is that we are aging. Given the inevitability of the fact, I wonder whether the “it’s an enemy” attitude towards the process of aging, its meaning and assessment of our bodies serves us any good.
Recently visiting Metropolitan Museum of Art, I bumped into the Naked Man by Lucian Freud, a contemporary artist that happened to be a grandson of infamous Dr. Freud.
Sleeping by the Lion Carpet, 1996 by Lucian Freud
And if you wonder how deep the preconception of aging is engraved in you by our culture, just try to give it up. Even for a minute. Because without that preconception, our bodies with wrinkles, hairs, saggy skin, fat and scars actually carry profound beauty that represents the process of living and thus aging.
- The painter working. Reflection, 1993 by Lucian Freud
So how is that we let a photoshopped picture of a anorexic model on an over-promising advertisement of some facial cream represent anything about aging? Aren’t we aging fools?
Since you are reading this, I am assuming that at a minimum, some place, even a tiny bit, you are not in love with your job. You might keep it as a big secret from everyone. And maybe even from yourself. Or your friends might've developed calluses in their ears listening to your complaints. Or you just turned off that part of self all together, disconnected from it, shut it down - because what's
