Why Do We Put So Much Value On Age?

Why are people so preoccupied with how old they are? I never understood why so many people are embarrassed by their age, sorry Grandma. Being old only means you have experienced more of the world than someone else; isn’t that an admirable thing?

I firmly believe that as long as you are in a better place than you were the previous year, you should be looking forward to getting older. Aging, and maturing, is a blessing we take for granted. People constantly say that they want to remain young forever, but I don’t think you want the mindset you had in high school or college to follow you for the rest of your life.

I understand people wanting to look young, but with age comes wisdom. The more experiences you go through in your lifetime, the more insightful you become. The older you get, the more lessons life has taught you. These lessons are what motivate your future behavior.

It seems the second you reach 25, you start becoming embarrassed about your age. There's a variety of reasons I believe that people lie about there age; first and foremost it is in order to trick a member of the opposite sex. Men and women equally partake in this type of illusive behavior. Women want to appear and act younger in hopes of securing a man to settle down with.

Men are always looking for a newer, better version, so it should come as no surprise how active they are in their pursuit of younger women. They tend to pretend they are younger in hopes of getting into bed with these women.

Different careers discriminate against people of certain ages. With the technological revolution that has been rapidly occurring, you can understand why some older people would want to lie about their ages. Some jobs only seek to hire individuals in their low 20s and would not even take a second glance at an application from a 30 year old.

The media gives us a false sense that aging is some sort of disease that needs to be remedied by anti-aging creams and serum. I don’t know which type of advertisement is more prevalent: fast food or anti-aging products. Younger icons replace older celebrities on a regular basis; models are considered expired at the ripe ol’ age of 25.

There is too big a weight placed on a person’s age. If you are out at a bar and are hitting it off with someone, who even gives a sh*t how old they are? They are obviously old enough to be out and drinking. If you like someone’s looks and personality, shouldn’t that be enough? Age is just a number, who cares anyway? It isn’t something you should be ashamed of. You didn’t do something wrong, like commit murder or a cardinal sin; you aged like everyone else in the world.

The negative connotation attached to age needs to be lifted. We are an evolving species and that is something to be commended, not looked down upon. Embrace the wisdom life experiences have taught you over the years and share it with those around you.

Remember, you are only as old as you feel.