There have been so many new and wonderful changes and improvements in our lives that it is often mind-boggling. For example, Amazon not only delivers the cheapest item the next day (preferred) and not only emails you when it’s delivered, but also provides a photo of the package at your doorstep. You have to love it!

Unfortunately, not everything is roses in all areas of life.

In many ways, our culture has declined to the point where almost everything is considered acceptable and sometimes desirable. Some things that exist today could not have been imagined in the recent past. These are just a few examples, some more significant than others:

*Surgical gender change is good.

*Infanticide at birth is okay.

*It is chic to wear jeans with holes.

*Necklines and bottoms are becoming more revealing.

* Inappropriate language is common and acceptable and is used by everyone.

*Civility is an archaic relic of the past.

*Tribal groupthink is preferable to individual thinking and common sense.

*Drug-induced altered states of consciousness are common and desirable.

One can agree or disagree with some or all of the above, it doesn’t matter. Changes exist and are largely accepted without judgment. I quote the changes to make a point, and the point is this:

Despite all the cultural and often revolutionary changes, there is one outdated norm that remains intact and as strong as ever: the acceptance that “old age” ALWAYS equals decline.

It is NOT generally accepted or believed that as people age, THEY CAN CHANGE AND GROW IN NEW AND YOUNG WAYS that defy decline. But let’s not go crazy here; decline is profitable and underpins and nurtures the traditional culture of leisure in old age. Perversely, the cultural decline of the elderly is an economic “benefit.”

The same old story

It’s the same old story about old age. At 80-90 years old, a woman is practically a leper. For many, especially women, it’s a horrible box to be in. The young abhor old age and avoid or ignore the old. In general, they make fun of the elderly, often alone. Old women are called “pretty” and are persuaded to live in “retired” communities to play while they deteriorate. The age of 90 is a safe bet that you’re senile (even without evidence), and younger people automatically treat you like you’re less than competent. Yuk – it’s disgusting. One can be incompetent at age 90, but one can also be incompetent at a younger age that has not been identified as “old.”

In relationships, “she must be younger than him” is the inflexible determiner for a woman to be with a man. Elderly women in good physical shape are wrinkled and therefore unattractive, while elderly men who are bearded, wrinkled, sick, and with their bellies hanging over their belts are distinguished and acceptable.

Mentally and physically, women tend to last longer than men. A 70-year-old woman is generally still in her prime, while a 70-year-old man has had open heart surgery, has prostate problems, diabetes, and has trouble walking. But that doesn’t matter to a mentally and/or physically compromised old man looking for a new love: he wants a much younger woman because she has always been that way. He feels entitled. In his head, he still believes that he is a desirable stud, even if he is impotent.

He figures he still has it going, and finding a viable younger woman validates his fantasy of his youth. Looking not far down the road, he is aware that a younger woman is potentially a better caregiver than an older woman. The sad thing is, if she has money, her decline often doesn’t matter to a younger (or older) woman and, in fact, can be an attraction.

The common sense solution

My solution is simple: legalize perceived age. Be of the legal age you claim to be and be able to live it mentally and physically. Please don’t tell me there are too many legal hurdles and loopholes to get around to make it work. Look, if a man can have his penis and related organs cut off to become a woman, anything is possible. For some reason, we don’t want to change the system. We want to continue to pretend that an additional old man with only half a brain is an attractive and acceptable partner for a young woman or of the same vital age.

Does injustice also concern you? Let me know when you’re ready to help change the system. Let me know when you’re ready to fight to be the person inside you screaming for legal freedom to be the age you want to be. No surgery is necessary. Just guts and determination to fight and win the fight. Imagine if that happens: Men will be scurrying like rats (to no avail) to try to keep any remaining youthful attributes (if any) for as long as they can. That’s what women are doing right now and they’re doing a great job. Competition could eliminate the fairness issues of “old age” and level the playing field of “them versus us” in life and love.