Whenever I share what my major was in college, it’s often met with a “what is that?” followed by a perplexed “why?!”  For those who don’t know, gerontology is the scientific study of human aging and the associated issues that come from this process. The issues covered in my program ranged from age-related diseases, to senior living, to governmental policies and programs. I’ve been asked if learning about aging made me fearful of my own future. And if I’m honest? There were times when it did.  

You know that feeling you get when you look up your symptoms on WebMD and self-diagnose with some rare, incurable disease? That was how I felt after almost every session of my Health Issues in Adulthood course my sophomore year. I would overassess myself to the point of believing that forgetting a coffee date with a friend meant I might have early onset dementia. It sounds silly to you now, but I’m willing to bet at least a few of you would have felt the same.

However, this fear had nothing to do with the realistic likelihood of me getting an age-related disease, and everything to do with the hyperfixation on these conditions that certain courses covered. It also had a lot to do with the ageism that I was still battling within myself, even as a self-proclaimed age-inclusive person (yes, even age-friendly people can have negative perceptions about aging). 

I had to come to terms with the fact that in all likelihood, I would live a long and happy life. To put it simply: many of the issues that we associate with age in our minds (pain, memory loss, sexual dysfunction) are not actually normal in the process of aging. They don’t just “come with the territory” as we are conditioned to believe. Through my studies, I learned about some truly devastating physiological abnormalities that can occur as the body ages, but I also learned that these things aren’t inevitable, and that there are far more wonderful things to look forward to than anything we could possibly be afraid of  

For example

• Older adults are consistently among the happiest groups of people (far happier than their middle-aged counterparts). There is speculation that this is due to better coping abilities acquired throughout the lifespan, as well as a greater sense of comfort being themselves. Old people are RESILIENT. Let this reality melt away any ageist fears of being sad as you grow old. 

• Older adults are generally more altruistic and engage in volunteerism at high rates. 1 in 4 adults over age 65 volunteered in 2015, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. 

• You have the unique opportunity to pass along your wisdom from all the accumulated events of your life to younger people.

• In retirement, you have more time to pursue the passions you might have put on hold throughout the rest of your life. 

• Cities across the United States are beginning to shift toward a more age-inclusive model. See Age Well San Diego.

I have grown to look forward to old age. You read that right. I cannot wait to be old. I would venture to say that the vast majority of gerontologists feel the same. We have read about, analyzed, and observed aging through every lens and we look forward to it. You should too! 

Have you ever considered the person that you will be when you’re 80, 90 or 100? When you think about it, does it scare you? If so, it shouldn’t, and I implore you to consider why it does. The core of who you are will be unchanged. You don’t walk through a magical portal once you reach 65 that will transform you into a crotchety, pain-ridden, weak person. You will likely have the same interests, passions, and loves. Your personality and general demeanor will remain.

But more often than not, when I ask my peers this question, their answer reflects the truly ageist beliefs that they’ve been fed for most of their lives. When you boil it down, ageism is the fear of a perceived future self. If you had positive aging influences and examples throughout life, you probably have less fears surrounding the process of aging. And if you didn’t have those positive aging influences, I encourage you to seek them out. When I say “positive aging influences”, what I mean is someone who defies the stereotypes set out about old age. Someone who you look at and think “that’s the type of life I want to stick around for.”

When I entered the gerontology program at USC, my only intention was to help older people. Admittedly, I had the ageist inclination to treat older adults as a problem to be solved. Now, I realize that perhaps more than anything, I’m the one who needs help from older people-not the other way around. I want to help young people realize that their life doesn’t end once they reach 65- it just reaches a new beginning, with new experiences to accumulate and new knowledge to be sought. 

I would like to close with one of my favorite quotes: 

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow! What a ride!’” 

-Hunter S. Thompson

Don’t be afraid, and make it a ride!