Mark Twain's view on Aging

"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."
~Mark Twain

I couldn't help but chuckle when I saw this. but really, it is true. A very central theme of this blog was not just healthy bodies, but healthy minds. I think if we convince ourselves that age doesn't matter, then we will not be preoccupied with its effects. Perhaps, then, if we 'ignore' in a sense, our aging effects, then do they really exist? If they don't matter to us and if they are completely ignored, then we can eventually convince ourselves that we are not as old as we really are. Age is a state of mind.

If we don't mind, it doesn't matter. Well done Mr. Twain.

Whoah! What did they say?!

Recently on Fox News, on talking on health reform, it was described as 'a subtle form of euthanasia'. What do you think? Did Barack Obama really say that health reform will kill you? It is important to voice the concerns of the elderly, to make our voice heard. If you were to ask me, I would NEVER want to wait weeks, or MONTHS for health care. Once the government takes over the health care system, lines will be miles long, health care quality will go down, and elderly care especially will hurt. Many times, when the elderly need to have medical procedures done, they are more immediate than, say, something more benign. Medical care for the elderly is more than just taking a pain killer. Geriatrics is a form of care that needs to have more focus than a lot of the health care that is readily available to others. This blog has viewers from all around the world. Some, with nationalized health care. Why is it that many patients from those countries come to the United States for health care? It is simply because it is the best in the world. Don't fix what isn't broken. We do not need the quality of our elderly health to go down because a minority thinks so. I once had a medical procedure done in the country of Cyprus. It was a disaster. I was in a wreck and split my leg open pretty badly. When I went to the hospital, the doctor told me I couldn't have any anesthesia. She told me it would 'ruin my liver.' Needless to say I had a gaping 2 inch deep wound that was scrubbed by steel wool without any pain killer. She stitched me up, gave me no painkillers, and sent me away. No instruction on care, nothing. They wouldn't take my stitches out so I went to another doctor that yanked them all out. (I came home bleeding). I remember thinking, "I miss my American hospitals." In other countries, hospitals are places people go to die, not to get treatment. Hello America, we're on our way.

Another Victor Hugo Aging Quote!

Forty is the old age of youth; fifty the youth of old age.
- Victor Hugo

I just thought this was funny. In fact, if you look at the poll it asks: 'When did you start feeling old?' I love how most people have said 'Never'. That shows more of a state of mind then a physical dilapidation. When I was younger, I thought 30 was old. I'm considering putting up another poll, but I would also like to see your comments on this issue. But what do you feel is 'old age now'? Not when did you start feeling old, but what is your idea of 'old'? Again, if you are to ask my opinion old is when you stop learning, and when you stagnate. Effort can always be made, an improvement can always be achieved, a new hobby or task can always be learned, and you can always continue to have great, great experiences. The more experiences you have is not a mark of old age, but more of a scorecard. The more you enjoy the better you are. That's how I keep score, and that's how I like to live my life. Every time a hardship comes along I don't think of it as something to fret, but a lesson to be learned.

Let us all know! What age do you consider old? And why?