Me and my camera in my home town, my capital city, my london
Age brings physical fall out and obviously some cognitive wear and tear but the person you are, the person you were, the person you always have been is and always will be inside. We view older people as different but they are exactly the same, its just the outer casing that has deteriorated. Consequently old people are marginalised by the rest of society . There is this notion that you change as you get older and yes, you get battlescars from the experiences life has dished your way which affects the way you are but your personality remains largely unchanged, and yet the way you are looked at and treated is utterly different.
I think the reason its easier to believe you change as you get old is that no-one likes the idea of being the person they are trapped in a decaying shell but that is the truth. If we admitted to ourselves this is what our eventual fate will be, we would then treat old people differently and keep them connected to the world rather than let them drift into isolation and irrelevance. Its easier to forget about them, to hide them away, put them in homes, leave them to their own devices so we are not reminded that we will one day be them.
The woman in the photograph is Velma. I have known her for nearly 20 years and she is well into her 80s. She still has a great spirit and attitude and managed to engage with the modern world and its inhabitants on her own terms and with relative ease. I think I want to be Velma when I grow up. Its too easy to get bitter and cynical as you get older. I included shots this week of both those with positive spirit intact, grateful for existence and those who have settled into regret & resentment as they somehow feel cheated that their life didn’t go the way they imagined or believed they deserved.
Truth is none of us deserve anything. Love, work, money, friendship..it all has to be earnt. Happy healthy living is not a right, you have to work at it. You have to fight to survive and succeed. If you feel you are owed a full life you are mistaken. Old age is a privilege not a given. Remember this…if you are showing signs of deterioration do not complain, you are one of the lucky ones. It means you have lived long enough for this to happen. Consider it a badge of honour.