Does growing older scare you?

Whizbang

comebackgirl wrote:

Whizbang wrote:

My point is that if, at 25, you're afraid of getting older/dying and just want to wallow in it, worry about it and otherwise dread it, you're already dead. Nothing is going to stop you getting older....time marches on, as cliche`as that sounds, it does. So either lay down and wallow in it or get out and live.

Exactly! And at that point wouldn't you already be living the reality of what you fear the most about getting older? Feeling stuck, stagnant, etc. The only way to get out of a rut is to do something different than you've been doing. In this case, I'd say change your outlook and go out and live.

"And the young, they can lose hope cause they can't see beyond today,...
The wisdom that the old can't give away
Hey,..."
Love Ed's little pearls of wisdom

Amen to that!!!!

norm

i may be almost 40 but i still think like an 17 year old :thumbup:

ZiggyStar

Nope -- I'm 30 and love getting older. The older I get, the better life gets!

My PARENTS getting older scares me though.....I don't want them to die! They're only 65 and 66.....still plenty of time.....I hope.

Whizbang

ZiggyStar wrote:

Nope -- I'm 30 and love getting older. The older I get, the better life gets!

My PARENTS getting older scares me though.....I don't want them to die! They're only 65 and 66.....still plenty of time.....I hope.

I'm with you on this Ziggy.....my mom is 63, my dad 70. Both come from parents who lived long but still watching them get older is a bit frightening. However, I must confess to my dad and I jumping from airplanes the last few summers. I believe it will be a tradition that continues as long as he's up for it!!!!

Get busy living or get busy dying.....

kenny olav

I think it's funny how people in their mid 20's freak out about getting older, and I myself was guilty of it. A lot of my co-workers are in their mid-20s and whenever I hear them get into a tizzy about turning 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 or *gasp* 30, I just have to laugh.

I'm 33 now. Almost 33 and a half! (I love that George Carlin bit) and I don't really feel older than I did when I was 25, but I know that I'm wiser. I know that my perception towards things and people has changed completely for the better.

So while I'm in no rush to turn 40, 50, 60, 70, 120 (ha), I don't fear it. I can only assume that the ride will only get more interesting from here on. So far, my 30's have been better than my 20's, that's for sure.

guacamolejoe

Stop trying to "count" the days & start thinking about living "each" day . Scared of growing old :roll: , I don't waste my time thinking about that shit . Plus I'm already old .

pjfan31

The only part that scares me, is growing old without marrying and having kids. I would hate to be an old man never having kids.

And if that fails,
There are always mail order brides right?

LikeAnOcean

If you think about it, relatively speaking, our lives are but a blink of an eye in history. To fear death is a survival instinct embedded in our DNA. Growing old is all state of mind..


I'm just as scared of death as I am the thought that billions of years existed before my existence..

Really its all about the now. If you are old and just sitting around, that is a conscious choice. It's merely another state of being..

To you and I, time did not exist before we were born, does not exist when we sleep and will not exist after we die.. the only time is now.


It's pretty crazy to look at my life long friends and think to myself we look the same as we've always looked, but to look at old photos and think we look very young.. I can only assume if I make it to 80, that will seem normal to me and everyone else will just look unusually young.

xavier mcdaniel

It doesn't scare me. I just remember thinking when I was 15, how far off 30 actually seemed. I'm more of a present tense kind of person, even with small stuff like someone asking what I want for dinner two days ahead of time.

Thoughts_Arrive

Yes, 25 now, wishing I was in my teens again.
And my dad greyed early, dammit.

Got a hard hard head

There is an underlying fear of getting old that could really get to me, if I let it. I think it’s the thought of the unstoppable inevitability of old age that’s the worst. We are conditioned, maybe somewhat wrongly, to think of old age as a negative and, as a result, something to fear.

I get quite sentimental about stuff that people maybe would think was stupid. For example I celebrated/commiserated reaching the big 4-0 this year and we had a party at our place. When everyone was gone, I found myself staring at the empty chairs and left over glasses, thinking "That's it, another part of my life is over and will never come back." I've become more aware that this is a once only trip and you should grasp everything you experience with both hands and cherish it. Unfortunately. it's human nature that we take everything in our lives for granted and dispel the thought of old age and death.

TravisTheSky

Not at all. I love it!

When I was a child, all the adults in my life bitched about how much adulthood sucked. They were religious because when they looked around at their lives, they shrugged and said, "I'd hate to think this is all there is." Seriously! I was 'raised' by unimaginative simpletons who had no idea how to better themselves. My teens were a depressing mess, which only worsened as I became a legal adult. Doctors stuffed me with drugs that almost left permanent damage. I thought my situation was the realisation of the expectation my parents had instilled in me.....But my years of misery were just growing pains! I slowly came to understand that everything I had ever known was wrong. I had to learn or re-learn everything. I am still learning. I celebrated my 36th Birthday 10 days ago. Since my late twenties, my default normal emotion has been calm thrill! I am usually blissfully happy, the type of knowing reassurance that only comes with age, struggle, and wisdom.

Physically, I became sidetracked for most of my twenties by severe breathing problems and insomnia. In those years, I was TERRIFIED of getting older because I assumed that age = disease. All that doctors had to offer were drugs, so I was on my own to help myself (Just like with the depression.) I read thousands of pages of health books. I cured both ailments in months by simply going organic and discovering that I was allergic to several foods. I now know that diseases are actually caused- They don't "happen." It's empowering to know that I am in control of my health, or lack thereof. I am as healthy now as I was at 16, except I have better skin! People who don't know my age find it hard to believe I am over 30.

When I look back on who I was (and what I knew) a few years ago, I was ignorant of so many things. When I remember the me of decades past, I almost wince at the gullible fool I was! I'd rather be looking back at my clumsy, embarrassing youth than clawing my way through it. Comfortable middle-age suits me fiiiiine!

Dissidentman

Scares the shit out of me. I think about it much too often.

Ms. Haiku

I love growing older. Thankfully, my mom is a great role model in that respect. She has no problem growing older. She's 67 and she's radiant.

Also, I'm stronger, and I encounter more and more people that inspire me to overcome my fears. I love that I figured out after all those years that what I love to do now is basically what I loved to do for over 30 years: read, hang with my twin, eat spaghetti. Also, I can sincerely say that no matter when it's my time to clock in I won't have any regrets. If I don't become a librarian before I die . . . it doesn't really matter does it?

South of Seattle

Growing old doesn't scare.

Growing old and alone does.

SPEEDY MCCREADY

fuck that.....

I am old....
And I am not scared.....

Anyone who has ever met me knows one thing....

I have FUN!!! PERIOD!!!

And I will keep having fun, till they put my dumb ole ass in a casket..........

Ms. Haiku

I distinctly made a pact with myself at 16 - if I'm not married at 30 I would join a convent. hahahahahahahahahahaha.

Well, here I am 41 and I'm not in a convent, but I've read some very good literature since 16. The best part of my life is that I can read. Reading never grows old. Well written literature still makes me feel alive and engaged with the world.

pandora

musicismylife78 wrote:

I can think of few things that scare me more. In fact it scares the hell out of me. My mom and I were looking at pictures of her, from her wedding day. She mentioned her and my dad were my age, 25 when they got married. When she said that, it made my heart drop. The thing that scared me, was it just showed how much time flew. 25 years ago they were my age, and right now I consider them so old.

I think growing older for me, scares the hell out of me, because of how I am running out of time to do the things I want to do in life, and every birthday is in essence a marker that says "you are running out of time".

At a certain point, I dont know when, but at a certain time, a certain birthday, your birthday, my birthday stopped being happy and joyous and became a marker of you and me getting older.

I love my grandfather, he is 83, but, all he really does these days, is lay on his couch and watch tv. He doesnt have the energy or passion to go outside and do much of everything.

Growing older reminds me that this could be me. I could be like him.

Don't worry you won't consider 50 so old once you get there. Instead of being scared make great memories to enjoy once you get there. Your parents are the lucky ones- still in love- with happy children hopefully. This is wonderful to have this love. This is life. There is a peace that comes with age- a freedom to be yourself and not care what the world thinks of you. As far as a clock ticking next time think of the people who have left this world- I believe they have somewhere to go but that is the alternative so growing old is wonderful.

meme

More than scaring me, it pisses me off.

If I had known then what I know now...

Life as a young woman would be so cool now that I am getting better at this living thing.

SPEEDY MCCREADY

meme wrote:

More than scaring me, it pisses me off.

If I had known then what I know now...

Life as a young woman would be so cool now that I am getting better at this living thing.

One great thing about getting older.....Is the way you look at things...The way you deal with situations....

Ya just cant help getting older and wiser.....You just cant help learning from your past mistakes, and how you dealt with situations when you were younger....

I see kids on this board.....Do some of the silliest fucking things......Or make a really silly decision.....

And as much as i would LOVE to give them advice......I instead say FUCK IT!!!!

Let them figure it out themselves.....hehehehehehehe