Old People and Money

I don't have anything tangible to write about this week. Well, that's not true, I went to Charleston, SC for an awesome wedding and it was totally fun and great. Charleston is a beautiful place and I'd like to go back one day. But other than that, I've got nothing. You know, it's hard work coming up with funky ass shit, like, every single week. So here are a couple of ruminations that popped into my head. 

1) Youth Culture

There is much criticism as it relates to our obsession with youth. I can understand that. After all, a large percentage of humans are not young. But my theory (and it's just a theory!) is that our obsession with youth, propagated by the media, is not skin deep. Rather, it has more to do with individual survival than wanting to look good. Here are a few arguments to support that:

• The world is becoming overpopulated. We are reaching 7 billion humans. That's a shit load for our earth to handle. But more than that, it means that we can squeeze out the weak and old and not think too much about it. So if you're older and still want to live, what do you do? You fake it as much as possible in order to cling to your small piece of the earth. This fact is heightened in image conscious Hollywood where barely older actresses get shafted for parts in favor of younger chicks, but it really applies to all industries and all aspects of the world. If you're old, you don't want to "give yourself away" and appear vulnerable to others because they will take advantage of your admitted weakness. It's that simple. Why is it rude to ask an older person their age? It's a weird social rule, but we all respect it somehow. Age is a very sensitive topic because it relates back to death, but also one's very own survival.

• The end of the traditional family also contributes to youth obsession. Old people are alone more now than they have ever been. Back in the day, elders were a very important part of the family. When an older member became too weak to work, the family took over in their well-being. That was a fact. But it is no longer the case. Old people are on their own these days. And for reasons stated above, if they're going to survive, they're going to play down their age. And sometimes, playing down one's age leads to drastic measures.

• Drastic measures -- plastic surgery, botox, fillers, personal trainers etc etc. Science has evolved in such a way that it can feed our deep desires for youth. So maybe back in the day, old people didn't want to look old, but who had the choice? Now, you do. 

• And finally, old people aren't dying today. They live on and on and on, past the point where they are of any use to society. So as life prolongs, so does our desire to remain somewhat relevant to the world. No one wants to be forgotten in a corner. But for reasons stated above, that can very well happen. Cue in youth obsession. 

2) Our Obsession with Money

Money, my friends, is a very deep rooted psychological element in every single human being's life. You can understand a lot about somebody's character by the way they deal with money. Back in our ancestors' day, we hunted and picked berries to survive and made our homes with animal skins and sticks. Today, we buy food and buy or rent our shelter. Money is a proxy for survival. At its most basic level, it represents protection, stability, home, health management and nourishment. And then there are the things that people say are unimportant but are treated with importance and are therefore, well, important. The superficial things if you will: having a nice life, going on vacation, going out to dinner, etc etc. It all adds up in the ciiiircle of life. Anytime someone says that money doesn't mean a lot to them, they are lying, point blank. Maybe they don't know they're lying, but they are. And when you encounter gold diggers, opportunists and social climbers, these people are likely more stressed out than others about their survival, though they are met with much criticism. I bet that on a scale that measures fear of death, these people would be at the extremity, as in "very fearful of death." So the next time you meet an opportunistic gold digger, just think about that a bit. I mean, maybe that person just doesn't want to die. I mean, God. 


And in conclusion, there is no scientific evidence for any of the above.