Readers of this blog know that it is critical for Boomers to break denial about aging and engage in a serious wrestle with issues of ultimate concern on the way to making true peace with growing old. And then there’s the Oct/Nov 2013 issue of “AARP The Magazine”, with the largest readership of Boomers in the world.
Throughout the magazine, Boomers are portrayed as relentlessly cheerful about aging, busy reimagining our lives, considering “real possibilities”, choosing amongst “the best places to live” and so on. Even when the magazine is forced to tip its hat in the direction of issues that Boomers should at least be beginning to seriously consider—loss, diminishment and mortality—the shadow is romanticized to the point of denial. Witness Valerie Harper “Faced with inoperable cancer, the beloved star of Rhoda reacts just the way we’d want her to: with gritty determination and a healthy laugh.”
But it doesn’t end—not even here. When we least expect it—in an article about Yoga—we’re cheerily invited to practice “3 Poses for your 60s”, one of which is “The Corpse Pose”. Yes, indeed, the one in which you lie flat on your back, eyes closed, feet splayed, surrendering to the floor.
Being serious about the shadow side of aging does not mean we can’t also be cheerful, optimistic and have a great sense of humor—or, of course, practice the corpse pose to our heart’s content feeling both surrendered and serene. But mature spirituality challenges us to embrace the whole range of human emotions, including appropriate grief, anger and bittersweet sorrow. It is imperative on us all to face our deepest fears, tell the truth about our real circumstances and make authentic peace with mortality. We can’t skip the difficult steps and go straight from eternal youth to serene corpse. We become Fierce with Age not despite the shadow side of aging, but because we have become whole enough to embrace it all.
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