Published: March 25, 2012
Article from The New York Times
To the Editor:
Re “Age and Its Awful Discontents,” by Louis Begley (Sunday Review, March 18):
Mr. Begley’s bitter portrayal of aging is neither universal nor inevitable.
While aging is certainly accompanied by losses and disease, gerontology research, and my experience in geriatric medicine, shows that there can also be continued productivity, connectedness, emotional resilience, wisdom, and acceptance and gratitude for a life well lived.
And while there is an “atrophy of the future” in old age, causing Mr. Begley ambivalence about buying a new suit, this often leads to enjoyment from a heightened sense of carpe diem.
Old age should never be measured by the metrics of youth. An adaptive rather than a maladaptive response to old age and even frailty is possible. Personally, I hope one day to be 95, and in love with a beautiful woman my own age.
HOWARD FILLIT
New York, March 19, 2012
The writer, a geriatrician, is executive director and chief scientific officer of the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation.
To the Editor:
Considering the heroism and endurance that permitted the young Louis Begley and his mother to survive far greater ravages in Nazi-occupied Poland than aging in New York, it is rather sad to read that age has been projected so negatively for their late-life legacy.
Mr. Begley projects this reflection on his mother, but perhaps her view was not that: despite his list of her age-related infirmities, she may have retained the capacity for satisfaction in her own assessment of her life’s course, despite its hardships, and the pleasure of visits from her son and grandchildren.
DAVID HAMERMAN
Bronx, March 18, 2012
The writer is a geriatrician.
To the Editor:
The perception of Louis Begley that there is nothing good about aging misses the many joys available to those who live beyond the average life span.
I believe that aging easily beats the alternative of dying young, and provides those of us in our 70s, 80s and beyond with an opportunity to enjoy these senior years with grace and satisfaction. Our pace may no longer be as hurried, and our responsibilities not as demanding, yet our lives can easily be enhanced by our attitude and response to the challenges as we age.
I’m excited by the joys and opportunities I now have for travel, spending time with old friends and making new ones. My mother, who died at 91, while missing her deceased siblings and friends, was nevertheless happy and optimistic right up to her last couple of weeks of life.
I believe that each day is truly a gift to be shared and enjoyed, and that the joys of aging far exceed the bleak picture painted by Mr. Begley.
SEAN HOLLAND
Los Angeles, March 18, 2012
To the Editor:
Maybe Louis Begley’s mother had a hard time. But many of us older women raised our families and nursed sick husbands until they died. Now it’s our turn to do some of the things we’ve always wanted to do.
“The bitterness and anguish of ... old people who end their lives without a companion”? Not always. For some of us it’s a freedom we have never known in our adult lives.
ROBERTA W. LYON
Maitland, Fla., March 20, 2012
A version of this letter appeared in print on March 26, 2012, on page A26 of the New York edition with the headline: On Aging: Look at the Brighter Side.
Article from The New York Times
