Anti-Ageing – Think About It!

A reader wrote to me in response to the post about Raving Old Ducks. Her analysis was simple – people are afraid of ageing because that takes them one step closer to death. It may be simple but it’s very true.

By looking younger you kid yourself that you are immortal.

You see it everywhere – anti-ageing creams, anti-ageing food, anti-ageing lifestyle. The image above is only a small selection of a google-search. Our whole society is obsessed by anti-ageing. And yet, ageing is the only alternative we have to death. The only way to stop us getting out of bed tomorrow morning one day older is if life stops here and now.

Obviously the manufacturers of anti-ageing products don’t actually want to sell us death. But, think about it – it’s the fear of death they’re capitalising on. Personally, I don’t fear death, not consciously. But I’m as bad as the next person pinching my jowl with firming cream every morning and carefully padding the area around my eyes with serum with the promise of youth and happiness.

The thing is – I don’t actually mind the illusion that I keep my face in shape. We just don’t know if those lotions and potions really help, do we? But what really gets my goat is the expression “anti-ageing”.

It’s alright to keep fit and healthy. Most of us do that because we want to live longer. But we should also accept the consequence of living longer – we age. We should be happy to age, we should embrace ageing and be proud of it.