History Of Our Fear Of Aging Philosophy Essay

Hi figment Of Our Fear Of maturement Philosophy EssayAbstractThe veneration of aging and end in America has gr receive into quite the headache. People today seem more(prenominal) c erstwhilerned with their somatogenic appearance and age than they ar with their physical or mental health. Not all is this a factor, only the media, as hearty as the commercial sales indus tense, argon taking advantage of this aid and using it to their advantage. This fear grips people for many reasons, solely the 2 biggest be 1.) they ar timid of the unknown, and 2.) they atomic number 18 mysophobic of be al peerless.Americas Fear of agednessMany people today be convinced that if they foot serious lift one more weight or just clear one more mile, they allow never get octogenarian. Even if they dont come back in and end up getting nonfunctional surgery or spend also much money on expensive anti-aging batters that dont work, in that respect comes a day when its too much effor t any bimestrial to keep up the fantasy. What began with simply trying to look pretty has baffle a never-ending battle to be or to find the bordering fountain of youth in America. If someone has age spots, theres a cream that for that. If you allow stretch marks or cellulite, theres a salve or lotion for that. Dark circles under your eyes? Theres a tonic for that as well. Give it period and Apple forget develop an app for all your cosmetic woesFears and concerns rough development old argon being addressed by those who are growing old. They arent content to sit idly by and allow death come swooping in on them. Instead they hold up let more proactive in the fight against the clock (e.g. participating in more physical activities, sharpening their mental abilities via games, puzzles, being more socially interactive with others, etc.).Our Fear of AgingAmericans today are in a ageless push to keep up with trends. Buy this new car, try this course of new weight loss shake, etc. Not only do they push you to buy their product, they also bombard you with reasons why their product is so much better than their Brand X competitor. The biggest culprits The Cosmetic Industry. The message being broadcast by the cosmetic industry is if theres something you that you dont deal, well fix it. acetylsalicylic acid (2004) said that from 1997 to 2001, cosmetic procedures increased 311% for women and 256% for men (p. 9). however why are we so appalled of being perceived as old?I have a rule that I can apply to a lot anything in life Everything is just a matter of perception. much like the dichotomy between good and evil. In a standard story or movie, the good guy perceives his actions as being in the good, but the bad guy also sees his actions to be in the good. And each perceives the others actions to be bad. But how they are perceived is determined not only by them, but by outside sources as well (e.g. the readers of the story, the viewers of the movie, etc.). In Ame rica, people are more concerned with the perceptions of others rather than of their own.But since when have we let the views of others govern our self-esteem? Growing old shouldnt be viewed as such a bad thing. In some cultures, being old is viewed in an opposite light. There are cultures in which aging is welcomed, as age signifies acquaintance. This is usually accompanied by deep respect, honor, and reverence, which ensures that the elderly are well cared for by family members. This is the goal of people in these cultures to live keen-sighted enough to get to this place where they can be revered by the younger people for their knowledge and cognizance.In todays society, old people are laughed at and scoffed at by younger people. Old people have become a punch-line for numerous jokes and stereotypes. Rarely are they looked up to for their wisdom they arent respected for what theyve done in their lives to be able to have the wisdom and knowledge that they do. Younger people laugh at them because they are afraid of getting old just like them, as well as being afraid of looking as old as them. But what drives this fear?The answer is simple when we get old, we are afraid that we are more than likely qualifying to end up being alone. As we age, our physical appearance drastically changes. Our hair loses its color, our skin loses elasticity which results in wrinkles, we get liver spots, and the list goes on. Its all centered around how we look, and nearly people think if they look old, no one will necessitate to be with them. Maybe people are afraid of the inner physical changes that take place. As people age their bodies become more cadaverous out, especially if they havent been very physically active or their diet hasnt been the dress hat in the world. And what else accompanies all these aches and pains? Medications that have a dozen or more side-effects, numerous trips to the doctor for this and that ailment, which it-turn gets you MORE medications.Mark two once said Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be natural at the age of eighty and gradually approach 18 (Drye, 2011.) In other words, we worry about losing our looks, our vitality, our strength, or our sexual energies. If what Mark Twain said were made into world, we would instead be constantly looking forrader to gaining these instead of losing them. The years between eighteen and twenty five are considered to be the outflank years of anyones life. During these years of early adulthood, humans are the strongest physically and sexually than they will be any other time in their life, and reliving those memories only reminds people of this joy (Berger, 2011.)Our Fear of remnantEven worse than fearing growing old is fearing what is almost always associated with growing old death. A theory by Dr. Sigmund Freud states that peoples fear of death was more of a disguise for some other hidden concern (Encyclopedia of decease and Dying, 2011.) Dr. Freud claimed that th e unconscious cannot deal with the passing of time and the concept of life cease cannot register in our brain. With the mind being unable to register our own death, Dr. Freud theorized that everyone is convinced he or she is immortal (Encyclopedia of Death and Dying, 2011.)But what about what happens when we die? Nobody truly knows what will happen or where we will end up, and this stirs peoples fear of the unknown. Will we end up in integrality annihilation (no afterlife, just non-existence), will we be reincarnated and if so what will we be, or will we go to heaven or hell? No one can really know until death happens to them, and by then its too late. People have always feared the unknown, which has been a severe detriment to human race throughout history. This has also motivated them to look for answers to whatever it is that they dont know.In 1973, Ernest Beck theorized that the fear of death is real. Not only is the fear real, but it is so penetrative that the fear of death is the reason for all phobias that exist. Beck noted that people only function day to day because they are able to temporarily get across death. (Encyclopedia of Death and Dying, 2011.) Beck has a very good point, though, because practically all phobias touch on death. Someone with Arachnophobia is more than likely afraid that a spider will bite them and theyll die. Someone with Hydrophobia may be afraid of destruction from drowning. And someone with Kinemortophobia, even though they have probably watched way too many horror movies/ TV shows, is still afraid of dying at the mercy of a zombie attack. It all comes back to being afraid of death.But no matter which fear someone happens to fear the most, theres one thing that will always remain true aging and death are inevitable. Theres nothing anyone can do to avoid them and theres nothing that can be done to stop or even slow the procession of either one. So you could ask yourself, If aging and death are going to happen whether I like it or not, should I be afraid all the time? Therapists usually tell people with major phobia issues that in order to conquer their fears, they must first face them. facing this kind of fear would probably involve more understanding of the reality of the situation than anything else.ConclusionWilliam Alexander Stiling once said Of all things that are feared, the last is death (Lockyer, 1969, p.209.) Aging and death are both facts of life, and theres nothing we can do about it. Changing your appearance in an adjudicate to look younger may help you hold on to your self-perception of youthfulness, but it wont have any effect on biological progression. The best therapy for this would be to just accept that aging and death will happen. Dont try to fight it dont try to hide from it. Embrace the fact that theyre inevitable and trick up yourself mentally, spiritually, and physically.