To the hosts of The 180,

I have just been listening to your programme as I drove buoyantly home from visiting  friends.   As I am 82 years old, it gave me a chill, as you informed me I am living on borrowed time!  Not a cheery thought for an active and happy person.  It brought me right down to gloom.

The discussion was  about the correct use of the terms--old--elderly--senior--etc.  Yes, old denotes age.  (old friend, old fashioned, etc.) An elder in the Indigenous  community is a wise person, a leader.  And senior used to refer to one's father or grandfather.  None of them meant to classify people into a group of their own--unfortunates because they are "old".  What  is old, anyway?  Who decides?  

I ask, why on earth does age matter at all?  Age is relative.  When you write a story about something happening in our world, human beings are involved--does it really matter what is their age?  Certainly not in the headline.  Perhaps mentioned later, if it is relevant, but in most human stories the age is irrelevant, and using  words such as "old", "elderly" or "senior" is simply practising Ageism, (which is the cousin of racism and sexism!  Imagine being described an an old, black woman!  Three strikes and you're out! )

Perhaps you will not understand this until you reach the age of 80, if you're lucky.  It happens more and more these days.  So let's lighten up with the Ageism, and celebrate  people for who they are and what they do, and keep the numbers for the statisticians. 

For me, being old is an honour.  I have responsibilities to represent my generation.

I would like to share a poem by Samantha Reynolds, who reflects my thoughts and feeling so beautifully.

I Am Not Old

I am not old, she said,
I am rare.
I am the standing ovation
At the end of the play.
I am the retrospective
Of my life as art.
I am the hours
Connected like dots
Into good sense.
I am the fullness
Of existing.
You think I am waiting to die . . . But I am waiting to be found
I am a treasure.
I am a map.
And these wrinkles are
Imprints of my journey.
Ask me anything.

(See Anna Mullins post on Facebook, photo by Ritta Ikonen and Norwegian photographer Karalone Hjorth)

I have a rather inactive blog, which is about to become active again!  janehamiltons.blogspot.ca/  Thanks for giving me a kickstart!  :)

Jane Hamilton Patrick