Reflections on Old Age: A Study in Christian Humanism

Reflections On Old Age

A Study in Christian Humanism

Cornelius F. Murphy Jr.

This book is dedicated to the Administrators, employees,

and residents of St. Barnabas Communities who, with great care and kindness, have eased my transition into this penultimate stage of life.

Preface

Since the dawn of the last century we have experienced a significant increase in life expectancy. From an average age of about fifty in 1900 many now can expect to live well into their eighties. But as the numbers of older persons increases, their position in society continues to decline. For the young, as well as for those in their prime, the aged part of the population is generally out of sight as well as out of mind. To counter that marginalization, we must first have a greater understanding of how the elderly have been thought of throughout the history of our Western civilization. That is the focus of the first chapter, Old Age Through The Ages. It begins with the situation in Ancient Greece and Rome and concludes with the circumstances of the elderly at the close of the nineteenth century.

To Plato, the human being was assumed to be a composite of both body and soul, and that premise guided his appraisal of old age as well as his general philosophy. He and other thinkers of that period took note of the distortions of character and bodily decay that accompany old age, but they also believed that this advanced stage of life provided opportunities for immaterial pleasures which were earlier ignored or underdeveloped. They were sure that intellectual comprehension could be improved, and that as we grow older we can enjoy modes of conviviality that are not spoiled by pride or rivalry. It was generally agreed that as we grow older we begin to live more deeply within ourselves. The classic De Senectute by Cicero reaffirmed and expanded upon these ideas.

For the philosophers and poets of the ancient world personal character was the unchangeable result of what had been done before an individual reached old age. In the medieval period, however, Christian ideals began to influence the general culture and spiritual improvement became an ideal that affected every stage of life. Dante had important insights into the possibilities of growth in the later years, which, as we shall see, have a relevance to our own time. He believed that moral development was well within the capacities of older persons, especially since their experiences had given them a deeper understanding of the principles of justice and the value of compassion. Dante thought that those of advanced years had a magnanimity that could be of great benefit to the community at large.

In the late Middle Ages affirmative appraisals of old age were in competition with more morbid images of decline. Both Chaucer and Shakespeare had dim views of the later years. But a more profound pessimism flowed from the pen of the French writer Michel de Montaigne. He thought that by the age of twenty the human soul is as fully developed, as it will ever be. Moreover, he thought that the continued employment of older men was unjust because it reduced the opportunities for the young. In subsequent centuries industrialization and compulsory retirement would make his ideas matters of public policy.

With the coming of the modern age some creative writers challenged Montaigne’s principles. The great German humanist Goethe wrote the final part of his Faust when he was in his eighties. In England, Samuel Johnson took up the problem of intergenerational relations, even though he thought there was little chance of reconciling the contraries of Spring and Winter. There were some positive models for aging in the lives of public figures such as in the long tenure of Queen Victoria and the political career of the statesman Gladstone. Poetic appraisals were mixed: Browning and Tennyson offer comforting images; there were dour assessments of old age in the poetry of Matthew Arnold.

As the isolation of older men and women from their families increased, institutional care came into favor. But the results were not encouraging. Those among the elderly who were receiving public assistance tended to narrow their range of interests, lose all vitality, and become extremely self-centered. Some of the best writers of the Victorian age saw how demeaning was the general situation and they made imaginative appeals to draw older men and women into closer association with the rest of the community. The calls for a more inclusive society were usually ignored, but they had the value of raising for us the issue of what place an older person should have in society at large as well as pointing to the possibilities of intergenerational communication.

In a final section of the opening chapter I examine the circumstances of the elderly in America from the colonial times to the period following the Civil War. At the beginning, the elderly constituted only about two percent of the population, yet their needs and circumstances were given considerable attention. Puritan sermons drew heavily upon Old Testament descriptions of the values of old age, but deeper tensions were developing between the generations. The elderly had disproportionate economic resources, particularly with respect to land, and this situation caused considerable resentment. These problems intensified after the American Revolution because principles of Equality called into questions all distinctions of rank and privilege.

Fortunately, in the course of time, there was a New England Renaissance of arts and letters that took a more positive position on the values of old age. Ralph Waldo Emerson had read Cicero’s classic and made a forceful restatement of the great Roman’s optimistic understanding of advanced life. Emerson thought that without the influence of the old there could be no true civilization. Oliver Wendell Holmes, a man of letters as well as a medical practitioner, believed that at every stage of life there were oscillations between immaturity and complete development, and that older persons would approach their own perfection so long as they did not allow the routine of habitual practices to interfere with the powers of self-development.

As the nineteenth century was drawing to a close, improvements in industrial production and the expansion of the commercial culture were developing in a manner that excluded older persons –even as their life expectancies were increasing. Seen as impediments to progress, the old were treated with remorseless indifference. In the coming century, advances in science and medicine would improve the physical prospects of old age but do little to relieve the sense of social abandonment. The second chapter explores how reflective thought would be compelled to address the problematic aspects of human longevity.

Scientists working at the beginning of the twentieth century took note of the differences between humans and other animal species. In the sub-human, the time between reproduction and death was short, while human beings have the possibility of living for a considerable period of time after they have brought new life into the world. Many began to believe that science and technology could indefinitely expand the period of human life, and during the presidency of George W. Bush a commission was established to examine, among other things, the social desirability of such an ambition. This distinguished Council on Bioethics paid particular attention to the scientific discoveries that were meant not only to conquer existing diseases of the elderly but also to increase both the average and maximum life span. In this chapter I examine the report of the Council Beyond Therapy: Biotechnology and The Pursuit of Happiness (2003) and discuss its reservation concerning the desire to infinitely expand human life.

Substantial improvements in the physical health of human beings is clearly on the rise, but we would do well not to believe that to breathe were life The present danger is that otherwise healthy older individuals are simply marking time or allowing their extended life to be one of monotonous duration. Every older person undoubtedly declines, but he or she should also move into a fuller stage of growth and maturity. In terms of prevailing metaphors, the elderly should not treat the extension of life as an anchorage, but rather as a new landfall where they can go forward, in trust, into an unknown future. But that healthy objective is impeded by the increase in their social isolation. Too often, those of advanced years are like Lear: unaccomodated by their families and having no meaningful role in the ongoing life of society at large.

One remedy for this unworthy situation is to promote the reconciliation of the generations. The ideal is to create a society that is welcoming to all persons at every stage in the development of human life. When properly instructed, the young can come to see the advantages of contact with the experience and wisdom of the elderly; conversely, older persons must not only give the young encouragement, but also be willing to accept whatever redistribution of social and economic resources that are needed so that younger persons have a reasonable chance to develop their prospects in life.

Reconciliation must extend across the whole range of generations. Justified attention is given to the relationships between the old and the young, but we must also bring the elderly and those of middle age closer together. Older persons need to initiate conversations with all those younger than themselves about the quality of life in this technologically derived, consumerist society. Here the wisdom of age becomes of critical importance, because it is only after extensive experience that a person fully understands how much of the culture that most take for granted is in reality unjust and inhuman. And those now profiting from the expansive materialism need to develop the humility needed to listen to those older than themselves about what in our culture should be corrected as well as that which deserves to be affirmed. It is within this framework that the great issues of stability and change can be meaningfully addressed.

In a final section of this second chapter I consider the plight of the very old—those over eighty-five, mostly women, and mostly institutionalized, who experience the most severe suffering and isolation. Many wonder if living so long can be squared with the hope of living well. These persons need to be convinced that their continued existence makes a meaningful difference in the lives of others. Their plight raises importance issues about the allocation of social resources, but it also brings out the importance of Martin Buber’s dictum that to be alive is to be spoken to.

In the third chapter, entitled The Quest For Maturity we approach the difficulties of establishing a personal identity after passing into old age. As the conventional and professional sources of self-esteem fall away the challenge is to discover who we are within ourselves. The hope is that we shall discover something of real substance. Building ourselves up from within, we begin to live more in harmony with our circumstances and develop the virtues and experience the pleasures that are essential to the full extension of life. Some will try to find themselves through volunteering, which is of great value, but we are more likely to plumb the depths of our being by reflection than by action.

From the time of Cicero those who have thought seriously about the meaning of old age have looked upon it as a time for the flowering of intellect and intuition. Relieved of the pressures of the work–a-day world, older persons can bring out inner powers that are no longer subject to pragmatic purposes. They can begin to see the value of whatever is true, good, or beautiful as it is in itself. Contemplation can fill the space made vacant by the loss of work, but it is difficult for one no longer employed to make proper use of the now available time. Here the temperance so important to physical health becomes applicable to the well being of the total personality.

A proper use of leisure provides an opening to the world of knowledge in all its dimensions. Under the circumstances of modern life, however, one who desires to enrich his heart and mind must abstain from much of which constitutes popular culture. This forbearance must be balanced by the deliberate pursuit of books, programs, music, and other materials that can elevate the understanding and expand the feelings of an elderly person.

Thoughtfulness originates in solitude but it has social implications. As the mind deepens, so does the desire to share what is learned with others. And this can be done in public venues as well as under circumstances of more intimate discussion. Throughout the country ‘Conversation Salons’ are being made available in public libraries to give citizens opportunities to discuss public issues under conditions of civility. Seniors have much to contribute to these exchanges. Old age has brought a release from passion that applies to matters political as well as those of sexuality. Older individuals engaged in open dialogue should be free from the rancor of division that have poisoned our politics and have a conciliatory influence upon the discussions. An older generation should manifest a collective wisdom.

Those who are of an advanced age can have a constructive public influence without holding public office. Much depends upon how much they care about the common good. To have such an inclusive moral vision they must first free themselves from the vices that traditionally have haunted old age. These means overcoming their own narrowness, their self- absorption, and any willful isolation from the world around them. They need to think forward, not just remember the past. Through such corrections, older persons can show that a civilized existence can still come into being.

As citizens, older persons can be brought into collaborative discussion with others over what constitutes the common good. These dialogues are civil but not intimate. The greater part of the relatedness that makes up our final years are with others with whom we are more closely connected. The quality of those relationships has an important bearing upon our prospects for a long life. Those who are married have the greatest intimacies, even if they are more spiritual than sexual in nature. The relationship that older persons have with children and other relatives is more problematic. Such difficulties can be