Old people are cool

Glenn Harper

Gloria Towne | All Around Towne Photography

Have you ever heard of the “Geezers Paradox”? 

It is the observation that, even though older people might be hopelessly unhip, out of touch with current trends in fashion or speech, and generally not “with it,” their lack of concern for the opinions of others, especially those people who haven’t been time-tested, is the ultimate form of “cool” — to be comfortable in your own skin, even if it is sagging. 

Here are a few people I have been privileged to get to know: 

The 80-year-old, white-haired, bearded, plump old man who is an actual professional Santa Claus was once a “tunnel rat” in Vietnam, volunteering to crawl into the underground network of Viet Cong tunnels to neutralize enemies and clear out booby traps, armed only with a knife, a flashlight and a handgun. Sometimes tunnel rats descended into the darkness with a rope around their waists to serve as a means of signaling comrades above ground, or as a method of retrieval in the event of being wounded or killed. 

He was sent home with a Purple Heart after having an eye almost blown out of his head, but fortunately saved. 

Pretty amazing stuff for a jolly old guy in festive garb with children on his knee. 

Another gentleman close to 90, who regularly leads games of Mexican Train Dominoes at the senior center, is a retired minister. As a young man in his 20s though, he was flying helicopters into remote jungle clearings to evacuate fellow soldiers, often under fire. Not too many young men today have experienced anything close to that in terms of intensity and heroism. 

An 80-something lady I came to know as a person in need of care, started her life out as an idealistic nurse in search of adventure. She took her newly minted nursing degree and sought out a job at a hospital in Hawaii because she always wanted to go there and she felt like there would be lots of men from which to choose.

Later, she took a high paying nursing job in San Francisco, but got bored and decided to try her hand as a blackjack dealer in Lake Tahoe for a spell. When that lost its luster, she moved to Seattle to start a clinic on Skid Row. Once her professional life ended, she continued to go an adventures around the globe. 

I met a very statuesque lady of 78, who is a former New York high fashion model. She was once highly sought after for her “look” in the 1970s and 80s. In her 50s, when her phone stopped ringing with offers from agents, she shifted gears and decided to become a solo, cross-country long haul truck driver.

Even pushing 80, this lady was still making the most of life and remaining engaged in the world around her. She even offered to assist me when I had a moment of faltering and indecision, which is not uncommon with me. 

My point is that every older person has a story of a time when they were young, having adventures and living their own history. It’s beneficial for all people concerned to tell their stories and to hear those stories. 

Finally, I’d like to share the following from the Old People Are Cool website: 

We believe 

Growing old is the purest and most positive experience of human existence. 

A society’s worth is measured by how it treats its elders. 

Ageism currently isolates and marginalizes older adults, dulling our communities, dampening our reason for being and inhibiting our collective achievement and optimal growth. 

Let us unite against ageism and ignorance. 

Let us dissociate age from the stereotypes of weakness and irrelevance. 

Let us be enriched by the wisdom, grace and patience that elders offer. 

Let us respect that a person is a person no matter how old. 

Let us comfort those in need, support the vulnerable, be patient toward all. 

Let us celebrate intergenerational, interdependent values. 

Let us embrace and respect aging adults as a valued part of our culture. 

In doing so, we will become better, we will become ourselves, we will become immortal. 

May the age be with you. 

If you have a story of a cool old person you’d like to share, put it in the comments, or email Glenn@thejoltnews.com

Glenn Harper provides support in aging and end of life. He is Chair of the Lewis-Mason-Thurston Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council and board member of the Senior Action Network. He facilitates several free Death Cafe and Elderhood Roundtable gatherings in the area where Elders are invited to talk about difficult topics in a nonjudgmental space. Learn more about these events here.