[Author’s Name]
[Institution’s Name]
Essay on A Myth about Aging
There is a wicked inclination in most people to suppose an old man decayed in his intellects. If a young or middle-aged man, when leaving a company, does not recollect where he laid his hat, it is nothing; but if the same inattention is discovered in an old man, people will shrug up their shoulders and say, 'His memory is going.The health and emotional problems that face the elderly are very real ones. Even some of the jokes about old people, cruel as they may be, may have a grain of truth in them. But though the old may be prone to physical and mental decline that does not mean every old person is confined to a wheelchair or an institution.
We know that is not the case. Not all old people sit around and do nothing but watch soap operas on television, play checkers, make birdhouses, or paint by number. Quite often, such simple pastimes are the only pleasures an old person has, and they can help make life worth living for many people. But to believe that old people and hobbies are what old age is all about is a stereotype that should be put to rest. Hobbies are activities outside of one's usual occupation, and they are generally engaged in for relaxation. Since many old people are retired, hobbies become quite important.
But they are not substitutes for meaningful work and they are not the only activities that old people are capable of. Because so many of the elderly these days are healthier and live longer, many of them, including the so-called old-old, are incredibly active, creative, curious, productive, and enthusiastic. They can write elegant and critically acclaimed books, paint masterful pictures, compose and perform music, act on the stage and in the movies, run in marathons, and learn to fly planes.....
