Question

What does it mean to age in the cultural landscape of the US?

Answer 1

Aging is a phenomenon we cannot avoid, regardless of what we do to our body or mind we are going to age as per the natural process. It is a fact that the aging population is increasing.

In the US culture where children leave their parents’ house and stay separately after a certain age is a reason that there is a wide gap gets created between the elder generation and the young generation. The younger generation has their own way of living, they study earn and have their independent life.

They come to celebrate Mother's Day, Father's day, Christmas, or on some other occasions, thus in many cases, the relationship between the parents and the children turns into a causal relationship, there is no denying that children are attached to their elderly people, but they do not seem to have time for them due to their busy schedule.

After a certain age, the person retires from his job and labeled as a retiree, this tag push a person aside from an active lifestyle. In the US cultural landscape, they glorify youth and despise old age. In the US the elderly people are depicted as weak as they have low income, in fact, retirement is the fruit of many years of active service.

In the US culture the aged person becomes invisible, they waste their talents traveling, entertaining, socializing, watching TV or playing golf.

There are many old age houses that take care of elderly people they provide healthcare and emotional support, America is a developed and progressive country the modern technology have increased the lifespan, and good care is taken by the government,

But the cultural landscape is such that it glorifies youth, the older generation tries to keep themselves active by keeping themselves engaged in other community services, rarely are they given the status of head of the family living together with their children and grandchildren. Like Japan and other Asian countries, that is pro-religion the elderly are looked after their children, thus they are not alone, they get the status and respect by the family and looked after till their death.

The loneliness makes the elderly people take to smoking, drugs, and alcohol, to beat their stress and anxiety, they love to be with their families, but rarely they have the opportunity of that kind, thus these addictions become their companion and this does harm to their health and mental status, as the immunity power of the body reduces with age, the elderly people starts falling sick. The average elderly above 75 years suffer at least three medical conditions and take five courses of medicines.

It is the love, care, and respect that the elderly people lack in the US culture, this develops the feeling of worthlessness and they resign from the active life. It is not that all the elderly people become dependent and addicted, there are people, and opportunity, to them provided by the modern technologies and gadgets to stay connected to their family people or elderly people throughout the globe, they do take advantage of it and have a healthy and active life of their own. It is not always the culture to be blamed, it is the human tendency that if they want to spend their life active and happy they have to take their lives in their own hand and can have a healthy and meaningful life with a positive attitude towards life.