2020 is a virtual graduation, a gaping hole on a CV, a funeral with no guests in attendance. John Leland’s Happiness is a Choice You Make has made our class consider what we can learn from our elders in times as troubling as these. What strength and perspective can we draw from them now? How might we leverage that wisdom to change the way we live after?
Myself and several other classmates tried, and failed, to shake things up. To find a current event about elders that wasn’t related to the Coronavirus. COVID-19 has creeped its way throughout the world, clinging to and extinguishing over 143,844 individuals. It is not the “great equalizer,” as some poetically suggest it is. COVID-19 disproportionately impacts and kills those with darker skins, lighter wallets, and more candles on their birthday cakes. The virus brutally exposes the weaknesses and ageism within our nation’s social safety nets, job markets, and health care system. These disparities force us LCSers to, once again, think critically about how class, race, health, and background determine one’s ability to age healthfully.
Our nation is already plagued by a “loneliness epidemic.” This is not surprising for a culture that’s founded on a Puritanical spirit of “rugged individualism,” in which a sense of self-reliance is praised while a sense of community suffers. Social distancing measures are particularly impactful to elders. Many struggle to use technology, and are left trapped inside, fearful of contagion, and resigned to limited contact with the outside world – particularly those with fixed incomes, no access to computers, or limited social safety nets.
It may seem that there is no silver lining for those whose temples are lined by silver. However, many individuals are taking this moment to finally confront the ageism that has quietly plagued our institutions for too long. Further, countless students and strangers are going out of their way to provide necessary supplies to elders in need. Hopefully, everyone’s calling their grandparents a little more often too.
Myself and several other classmates tried, and failed, to shake things up. To find a current event about elders that wasn’t related to the Coronavirus. COVID-19 has creeped its way throughout the world, clinging to and extinguishing over 143,844 individuals. It is not the “great equalizer,” as some poetically suggest it is. COVID-19 disproportionately impacts and kills those with darker skins, lighter wallets, and more candles on their birthday cakes. The virus brutally exposes the weaknesses and ageism within our nation’s social safety nets, job markets, and health care system. These disparities force us LCSers to, once again, think critically about how class, race, health, and background determine one’s ability to age healthfully.
Our nation is already plagued by a “loneliness epidemic.” This is not surprising for a culture that’s founded on a Puritanical spirit of “rugged individualism,” in which a sense of self-reliance is praised while a sense of community suffers. Social distancing measures are particularly impactful to elders. Many struggle to use technology, and are left trapped inside, fearful of contagion, and resigned to limited contact with the outside world – particularly those with fixed incomes, no access to computers, or limited social safety nets.
It may seem that there is no silver lining for those whose temples are lined by silver. However, many individuals are taking this moment to finally confront the ageism that has quietly plagued our institutions for too long. Further, countless students and strangers are going out of their way to provide necessary supplies to elders in need. Hopefully, everyone’s calling their grandparents a little more often too.