Another writing assignment

 I am definitely new at writing rhetorically. I am not even sure I get what I am suppose to do,I have a passion for many things. The one thing I will write about today is aging, it is talked about in a negative manner by many different groups of people, I keep thinking do they not know that one day they will be old and what will their quality of life be, will anyone care about them?
 Aging is a unique challenge for everyone. I do not believe that anyone of us do it the same way.  For what ever reason I do not feel old mentally. My body is probably in worse shape than most people my age but that does not stop me from dreaming. It does not stop me me from thinking that I can do what ever project my brain comes up with, like taking this writing class. There are times when I feel society would rather we all just went away. That we have have a use by date stamped somewhere on our bodies. That is such a fallacy,  part of what will happen to us is environmental, genetic, the aging process, how we are treated mentally, if we have a support system of family and friends. For instance my mother's family have into their 80s and 90s even when the average life span was in the forties and fifties, they were soldiers, farmers, preachers, pioneers well into their later years, in fact my great great grand father homesteaded in Nebraska when he was in his 70s.
There are the so called experts that are constantly giving out opinions, One self proclaimed expert, who helped write the Affordable Care Act, Ezekiel Emanuel wrote in the magazine The  Atlantic, This is an except from his article,“But here is a simple truth that many of us seem to resist: living too long is also a loss. It renders many of us, if not disabled, then faltering and declining, a state that may not be worse than death but is nonetheless deprived. It robs us of our creativity and ability to contribute to work, society, the world. It transforms how people experience us, relate to us, and, most important, remember us. We are no longer remembered as vibrant and engaged but as feeble, ineffectual, even pathetic.”
Now this quote of his in an article September 17, 2014 does not mean he wants every one to die at age 75, just  that he thinks life should be over specially for himself at this age. Dr Emanuel has no real idea  what aging is about, he must think anyone older than 75 is useless. He is wrong there is a wealth of wisdom out there and it would be nice if the younger generation would take advantage of it.
For instance I have physical handicaps, I can not walk very far even with a walker but that does not stop me from making  good nutritious meals for  people that are ill, it does not stop me from painting pictures of the beautiful flowers I can not grow any longer, It sure does not stop me from writing  poetry, stories of times long past. There are so many very healthy men and women that volunteer daily at food shelf, visiting the less fortunate patients in nursing homes. Make quilts for the homeless, the list is endless.
I remember my mother at age 81 getting married to an old beau she had as a teenager. These two people had a reception and dance, it was amazing watching  all of those senior citizens, some in their nineties, one with one leg and crutch out dancing polkas and waltzes and thoroughly enjoying life. This short space of time showed me that if there is a will, there is a way.
yes we cost money but the knowledge and  wisdom can learn from the elderly is priceless. What is a human life worth to  Americans, is it disposable like abortions or is it  person's right to life as they choose.
 How do other  areas of the world treat their elderly is a good question , like Adrianna Huffington wrote in her book "On becoming fearless," "Ten years ago I visited the monastery of Tharri on the island of Rhodes with my children. There, as in all of Greece, abbots are addressed by everyone as 'Geronda,' which means 'old man.' Abbesses are called 'Gerondissa.' Not exactly terms of endearment in my adopted home. The idea of honoring old age, indeed identifying it with wisdom and closeness to God, is in startling contrast to the way we treat aging in America."  or as Confucious wrote in Analects," "A superior man is devoted to the fundamental. When the root is firmly established, the moral law will grow. Filial piety and brotherly respect are the root of humanity.
The sad part of all of this is the young people are losing that special bonding that can happen between the old and the young, The everyday things they can learn that would help them make the right decisions in their lives. Instead they are being taught that living in the now is what is important for them. We as a people have to rethink exactly what is important in  life and to go back to some of the very basic things they they learned as children from their elders.

Reading  essay assignments from other writers in this class shows me that its is people that are important not their age. For instance Barbara Guess  wrote when  telling about retiring and then realizing there is so much more life out there, "To help other people find solutions to the problems in their lives I returned to voluntary work. I’m training and stretching my brain to accommodate computer research and communication. I’m connecting and facilitating appointments, contacting  social services, delving in the quagmire of legal rules and government forms. The sap still runs connecting me to society. As a leaf I’ve changed colour to a shade of grey, dyed brown, with crow’s feet webbing the corners of my eyes; but I can still walk and run, my brain is still alive to new experiences.  I can travel to the city and not get lost, or need a chaperone and nature can still amaze me with her talents". Her stories should be told. It is not just my story on aging but my fellow seniors that do have a world of experience to share.