Sunday, April 15, 2012

The Right to Age... The Right to Coexistence

How do we coexist with Earth and its natural forces?

We have a relationship with gravity.
Gravity pulls our bodies down to earth and grounds us for our entire life.

Why can't we acknowledge the coexisting relationship of an aging body and gravity,
and accept the reality, rather than disowning it, that as we age, our skin loses elasticity, our bones lose density, and our body slowly gives in to this force,
our skin drooping and our spine compressing in a shift downward?

Here, I stretch the definition of Right to Coexistence to a
relationship between us and a physical force of the earth.


I declare the Right to Age supported by the Right to Coexistence.

Few of us want to age.
But since we will age, can't we switch our viewpoint
to one of acceptance, even joy, of a coexisting relation with Earth?
With age, we trade trade physical strength for wisdom

Blog commenter JAY writes, "People see aging as a curse, something we are doomed
to endure, rather than the natural beauty it is." 

As we age as individuals, the human race ages, and the Earth ages.


Revision: thanks to commenter RCW, YEM, JAY, BKR.



34 comments:

RCW said...

Having the Right to coexist, does that mean that we simply have the right to live and age peacefully together. We are all quite faced stoned to reach that ripe old age someday, where gravity has worn down on us and our body is under the effects of mother time. Although, we have the Roght that does not mean its a time that every human being wants to experience and go through. There are still those who would only like to coexist here only at a young age.

Anonymous said...

Everyone has a right to age but we try to defy that. we as humans always to go against the natural order than face it and let it happen and we should respect the right to age and coexistence.

A.M.

Anonymous said...

Everyone will obviously age whether we like it or not. In today's society, looking youthful is the top priority for many middle-aged people. Therefore, it is only natural that many people try to defy their aging by doing whatever they possibly can. This could be working out or using skin creams or any number of things. I wouldn't make it my top priority to look young, but I agree with the idea of keeping it physically fit. At around age 75, I would just stop caring and age as it comes. MBS

Anonymous said...

I agree with the right to age… the right to coexistence. We coexist with this planet in more than gravity grounding our bodies. When our bodies finally give in to “the force,” we become nourishment for the earth, which in turn becomes nourishment for an animal and then the animal becomes nourishment for the next generation we left behind. This cycle continues for eternity and is a simple way that we, as we age, coexist with the earth.

M.D.L.

Anonymous said...

Aging is the most natural aspect of all living beings. We age with time and time never stops. coexistence with the elder is something that we all need to learn, sometimes our society discriminates the elder because that's just what they are. for me aging is the best gift a human can receive, because it means that you had many years to live and enjoy ion this planet, while others die at an earlier age and with them the opportunity to grow old, create a family and live a happy long life.
S.A.

Anonymous said...

Our bodies like the earth, are constantly evolving and aging. The planet is 3.5 billion plus years old, and still looks breath taking. The need to look young is a personal preference, but, once you've passed the prime of your life, no matter how much you pay your age will not change. We should age just as nature intended and stop trying to defy gravity. Face lifts are not fooling anyone. ;) G.C.

Anonymous said...

For quite a long time, gravity and humans have had a relationship everyone has seemed to overlook. Gravity holds our bodies close to the Earth from the moment we are born to the moment we die. Aging is a beautiful process. We begin as an infant and grow older and gain wrinkles and lose the elasticity of our face. Being able to see this process, not only with yourself, but with others as well is, to say the least, interesting. As the world grows older, so does the human race. BKR

Anonymous said...

We all know that everyone will age, it is something that must happen. In today's society though, no-one wants to accept it. It's as if people see aging as a curse, something we are doomed to endure, rather than the natural beauty it is. Some persons age more gracefully than others but we can hardly ever tell who is whom -technological developments now allow us to alter our appearance whether it may be slight, or to an extreme. Everyone has the right to age but sadly, not all appreciate it. -JAY

Anonymous said...

Ageing is a reality of life that many wish to wake up from only to find out it was all just a dream. The truth is with age one is more wiser, confident, and comfortable with who they are. With youth one may have tighter skin, sharper vision, and less aches and pains. However, with age there is wisdom. I support the right to age and coexistence it may seem unnatural and unfair. The reality is for now everything that has a beginning must also have an end.-YEM

Anonymous said...

We are all to respect others regardless of age. Ageism is a big problem in the United States’ society. As much as we may want to avoid it, it will still occur. Neglecting the elderly only dehumanizes us. Mankind will always try to find ways to avoid aging, but that’s no reason to neglect those who already reached that level.
AG

Anonymous said...

I personally like this one. I agree that we need to coexist. I have seen that some people have accepted it. For example, when I see my little brothers I look around and see that a lot of the beauty I got to see they did not. This is something we don't usually see until we become older, but I think that the younger generation is starting to see it now.

Fidela said...

The Right to Age. By wanting to be immortal, going through the process of aging is not quite accepted by elderly people because it is related to health deterioration. These metamorphoses consequently bring sickness and death. Eventually, longevity will be improved and will prevailed.
Albert Einstein's theory of Earth's gravitational field states, "People who spent their entire life at the top of the Empire State Building, would have a lifetime shorter that if they'd stayed at ground level."

In the Chinese culture, the inter-generational relations, i.e.,older people, are respected because of their wisdom acquired through their life experience. Fidela.

Anonymous said...

I do agree with The Right to Age... The Right to Coexistence
Unfortunately the world in which we live is getting every day more superficial. Is very sad to see that human beings are losing the true meaning of  age. 
Personally when I see my grandparents I only see a wisdom so big and sincere in which they acquired only through the years. I believe that we should stop  seeing  those marks on our face as a punishment, instead, as the gift of life...
"Do not regret growing older.  It is a privilege denied to many"~Author Unknown
*NG*

Anonymous said...

In my opion wisdom comes with age. I see nothing wrong with growing old and coexisting with the earth. Learning along and way and living life to the fullest should help people realize that aging is a beautiful thing. A.H.

Anonymous said...

Whether we like it or not we are going to age no matter what. If we eat the right things and exercise to keep our bodies in shape as we age our bodies won't look like it has aged. If we treat our body like a temple we won't have to worry about our body aging as we get older. because we would have kept our bodies in shape by eating and exercising right.-I.C.

Anonymous said...

Accepting that we coexist with earth and its natural forces is the only solution to fully rejoicing in the viewpoint that wisdom is more beautiful than physical strength. Most of humanity is so narcissistic that it believes it has the power to control gravity and aging. Humans try to fight gravity and age by placing a bandage of Botox, surgeries and creams and forgetting that our inner most intimate parts are following the process as scheduled and inevitably we will be forced to coexist with earth. Rejoice in the wisdom and lessons learned as it will guarantee our coexistence for decades to come. TL

Anonymous said...

I always hear my wife saying “just like wine I only get better with age”, not only I love this analogy but completely agree with it. Yes we are all victims of gravity, loss of skin elasticity and bone density but as we age we acquire wisdom, patience and most importantly we learn that life is too short, and the key of true happiness is to love every single moment of life God grants us.
AYS

Anonymous said...

I agree with the right of coexistence, however; I think that we also have the right to not looking old. I don't really understand the objective of the post. If it is trying to state that human beings have to understand that with the years we age then I can agree with that: In order to live a mentally healthy life its necessary to accept the fact that we all age and its part of human nature, however; as I just said in the first lines I think that we have the right of looking good. If you professor read this post, I would suggest that you write about this right.
By ASR.

Anonymous said...

There should be nothing wrong with ageing. It is a part of the cycle of life, so why stress it? To coexist is so natural. In my opinion, nature is beautiful and we are a part of nature. Gravity will always be there to affect us in everyway it can. There is no good reason to try to look younger by doing botox. People should stop being insecure and love themselves just the way they were created. Everyone is already beautiful no matter what age.-S.S

Anonymous said...

No one can stop time. No one can stop aging. Even though people try to get away from it and think it's a curse I think that aging it's a right. Older people are respected because of the wisdom they pick up through the years, and that's a gift to them.
J.R.

Anonymous said...

People are so fixated in what they look like that they start to forget about what really matters. Age is a natural thing for any human being to go through or better yet any living thing because even plants and animals age. Its the circle of life;live, grow and die. YML

The Wandering Light said...

Can we coexist with Earth? I believe so. Will we coexist with Earth? Most likely not. This is because we are not aware of what we are standing on. Everyone is focused on their own problems and aging, and the Earth moves on. Can we coexist consciously? No, but the Universe continues on.

Anonymous said...

I believe that we all have the right to age. However, society has made us believe that aging is a bad thing. People want to remain young forever and go through drastic measures to defy their aging. JJ

Anonymous said...

As we become older, you see that our age is reflected in our body. We wrinkle and look like we are falling apart. Although age is not a bad thing, as we get older the wiser one becomes. People look up to us as role models and come to us for answers. We are more experienced even though we look as if we are falling apart. Age is something that is natural and should not be looked at as a bad thing. Our society should see age as guide for our future generations. -ABL

Anonymous said...

Aging is seen in a negative way for some people. I think everyone should be more open-minded, especially on this topic since there isn't a way to beat it; You will age. With aging comes gaining wisdom, which is a great characteristic in life. Embrace it.
KR

Anonymous said...

This is a beautiful post! Author Diane Papalia studied that a human life can live for up to 110 years. In fact, I've read several cases where centenarians continue doing what they love most, such as running, swimming, and playing with their grand children.
Q.M

Anonymous said...

Aging is inevitable. Time is unstoppable. How do we change the values of a western culture concerned with being eternally young? I am young at heart. I hope to continue to feel this way no matter how my wrinkles change my appearance.
ALB

Anonymous said...

This post makes a lot of sense because many people don’t realize that the older you get the wiser you become. Maybe you’re no longer as fast or as agile as you once were but you are able to see the world at a slower pace. We have to accept the fact that getting old is natural and that it is inevitable. E.P.C

Anonymous said...

-"Just like wine, I become greater in time." Whether we want to age or not, naturally you will. Us, as humans try to prolong aging by continuously trying to drink from the fountain of youth instead of realizing with age comes wisdon-J.D.

Anonymous said...

Gravity does play a little bit of a factor in our aging, but it's fine because we all are going to age anyhow. We have the right to coexist. Just because we have gravity pulling on our bodies doesn't mean we can't live life to the fullest. There're many other things we can do to live life a little longer than most: exercise, eat right, and don't kill your body with drugs and alcohol. People don't realize that your body is a temple and you should treat it like one and not destroy it!
RCT

Anonymous said...

In these modern days, people act as if wrinkles are sins and try to rid themselves of them. I wouldn't go as far to say that "I want wrinkles", but age is a beautiful thing. Wrinkles, age spots, all of it comes in time, and with time comes wisdom. SC

Anonymous said...

Botox, collagen, lifting, stretching,
Denial, rejection, hate, disgusted,
Ignorance to age, loss of wisdom
- Ali

Anonymous said...

Sometimes forces of nature are kind, while other times trey are cruel. As people age, they physical appearance is vulnerable to these forces.
The force of gravity and wind can have an adverse effect on the skind. People can figth the forces of nature with skin treatments, exercice, and proper diet.

YG

Anonymous said...

It is contradictory. We want the time to run fast, because we are in a rush for the weekend, or because the always expected vacations. There will be always a reason to desire the time to pass. But then, we do not want get older. And the reason is not we have something against the old people. It is because of ourselves, we do not want to be old.

MCC