Wednesday, November 04, 2015
Eternal Youth
I
have just joined a gym, so was able to take advantage of a freebie offer to
have my body tested. The stress test revealed that my body age was 43, and I
could even bring it down to 38, if only I made use of a personal trainer. I
guess I should be happy!
At
the same time, three of my housemates are undergoing surgery this month:
rotator cup, double knee replacement, hernia- I am surrounded by signs of
aging. And being- at least as far as my natural age is concerned- 55, many of
my friends, especially those of the fairer sex, are now celebrating significant
birthdays, often doing so with elaborate schemes to avoid mentioning the “magic
number”.
So
I was intrigued watching “The Age of Adaline” on one of my recent flights to Europe.
The basic plot is simple: due to an accident, Adele’s DNA has been modified so
that she does not grow old. In some ways, this is the dream of many people come
true: no anti-aging creams, face-lifts or the like- just live on happily
forever. But the film reveals a different picture; far from being happy, Adele
is very miserable. While her long life has afforded her the ability to learn
many languages (including Braille), it has made relationships difficult. Her
daughter is soon looking like her grandmother, and she has buried three beloved
dogs. It also requires elaborate schemes to conceal her DNA “defect” lest she
be exposed like a freak. And most significantly
she feels alone, since she cannot have a spouse with whom to grow old. In other
words, this movie claims that aging, far from being a curse, is actually a
blessing. And the message is conveyed by the stunningly beautiful actress Blake
Lively.
 |
| Rodin's "Youth and Old Age" |
So
why are so many of us dreaming of eternal youth then? For one, because many
aspects of aging, especially its later stages, are physically or emotionally
painful. My confrere is in serious pain after his surgery, to say nothing of
the humiliation of needing help with such mundane tasks as taking a shower. The
likelihood of your friends passing away increases as you get older, and that
hurts too. Another reason though is that the closer we get to the end of our
lives, the more we realize how little we have lived up to our potential. We
have regrets, unfulfilled dreams, and life seems to leave us with the question “Is
this all there is?” Traditionally philosophers have pointed to such thoughts
and experiences as a proof that we are beings wired for transcendence. As
Augustine puts it: “Our hearts are restless, o Lord, until they rest in you”.
In other words, we are made for eternal life, and this is why the few years we
have on earth seem less than totally satisfactory.
But
when we hear of eternal life, we should not think of eternal youth as in Adaline’s
case. Far from being disconnected and unfulfilled, eternal life means being
fully ourselves and in deep relationship with one another. How we can age
together gracefully while still living forever, I can’t really explain. But
what is clear is that this is something to look forward to, rather than to
dread. So as November comes, with more gloomy weather and, in many religious
traditions, the memory of our beloved dead, let us not long for eternal
sunshine like in the retirement colonies of Arizona. Rather let us raise our
gaze to heaven and remember why we were truly created.
