The 'Perks' of Aging - Pros: Maturity, Wisdom and Experience or Cons: Outdated, Worn and Dull?

 

 

 

Of course, you've heard it all before... When you're young, you believe you're invincible and you have the world at your feet, not to mention all the time in the world to do whatever you deem important and worthwhile... later... but not now. Because "you're only young once", so making the most of that too-short period defines having a good ol' time, but we won't go into what that may mean to young people.
Now before any parents or young adults are offended, it goes without saying that many young people, especially in this day and age, are far more mature, sensible, realistic and focused about their futures and careers than many of us of previous generations. Mainly because the economy is what it is, and no one can keep up with our technology running away from us (that's a subject for another day).
However, it's my personal opinion that many younger people are also more jaded, spoiled and way too tough. It's like their brains are programmed mostly towards materialism.
Truthfully, this sad flaw is the probable result of parents catering to their children's every whim, whether rich or not, because parents have adapted this guilt factor for one reason or another in this increasingly fast-paced world over ours, e.g. working late too often or forgetting parents' night or having to meet that big-money tycoon instead of going to their daughter's dance recital or their son's football game. Oh, and let's not forget the single parents, who're always on guilt trips merely because they try to be mom and dad. So parents tend to buy stuff to soften the blow and make up for hurt feelings, or in some cases, parents mistakenly believe they can "buy" their child's love... Wow, as parents we sure do some really dumb stuff! Obviously it's only because we love them and always with the best of intentions but nevertheless, still really dumb.
Yep, that's a 'pros' and 'cons' of a different sort. The perk is we learn from our mistakes, which usually comes with age and maturity. The con is that unfortunately we don't realize that how we handle certain situations with our children while they're young and impressionable comes full circle in their not-so-commendable attitude towards us as they grow older, i.e. lack of respect and lack of appreciation.
Live and learn, right?! Regrettably, none of us can turn back the clock, but we never stop learning. Another lovely 'perk' complementing life's journey as we plunge towards the threshold of aging. No, yours truly cannot claim training or knowledge in psychology, however understanding human nature evolves from being one, and having a closet full of good intentions and bad mistakes undeniably is a 'perk' when it comes to having a pretty good sense of what makes us humans tick.
Now moving on to another symptom of pros vs. cons: If you lose your job after the age of 40, all your 'maturity, wisdom and experience' will not necessarily help you find a new one, because it seems that employers will only see you as 'outdated, worn and dull', no matter how fabulous your resume or CV is. How can this be true? Alas, it's a gloomy reality that's been ignored for too long.
Overall unemployment statistics are a terrible state of affairs everywhere, but here's a bit of enlightenment as to how bad it really is according to Trading Economics for both the UK and the US:
"Unemployment Rate in the United States is expected to be 5.00 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. Looking forward, we estimate Unemployment Rate in the United States to stand at 5.20 in 12 months' time. In the long-term, the United States Unemployment Rate is projected to trend around 6.70 percent in 2020, according to our econometric models."
"Unemployment Rate in the United Kingdom is expected to be 5.20 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. Looking forward, we estimate Unemployment Rate in the United Kingdom to stand at 5.10 in 12 months' time. In the long-term, the United Kingdom Unemployment Rate is projected to trend around 6.30 percent in 2020, according to our econometric models."
It's even more hard-hitting for those aged 50 and over. Here's what The Guardian had to say already a few years back, "Ageism is back as unemployed over-50's struggle to get back into work," and "Over-50's are more likely to fall victim to age discrimination as much as the lack of job vacancies, making them prone to longer spells out of work."
Frankly, the cons of aging aren't simply wrinkles and flaccid skin, which aren't a cheery prospect in themselves to tolerate. If ever there was a world of chivalry, respect and appreciation, in which the young looked up to the elders anticipating their pros of invaluable wisdom, knowledge and experience, it's clearly not our world at present. In this world, the cons are gaining the upper hand when it comes to the older, mature generation.

Dear Reader,
Possibly discouraging as this topic is, I hope you enjoy reading this article. You may even empathize or agree with some of my views.
I'd enjoy and value your comments.
Kind regards,

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