An unknown country
Master Thesis
2013
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University of Cape Town
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In this Master's project, my work has been concerned with a number of ideas associated with old age and ageing, and with the physical, psychological and social conditions and changes that attend this period of human life. The realisation that one is reaching what is commonly understood as old age is a paradoxical one: a sense of change accompanied by wisdom and insight, yet also the recognition of decline and the stasis that accompanies this. In order to discuss old age it is necessary to try to define the term and to identify what the boundaries are between youth, 'middle-age' and old age. In popular culture, at times expressed through poetry, the progression through life is seen in easily identified stages, variously numbered from three (infancy, adulthood, old age) to Shakespeare's classic 'seven ages of man' from his play As You Like It. Despite this variety, the 'old age' state is generally accompanied by greying hair, and the noticeable onset of physical and cognitive deterioration. These various stages of human development are all affected by significant life events and crises, in many cases marked or celebrated by rites of passage for events such as leaving school after matriculating, marriage, the birth of a child, or celebration of the first year of a new decade. There is no definitive marker for the onset of old age, but perhaps the closest is that of formal retirement from working life, typically around the age of 65. Although many transitional events can be uplifting, bringing new gains and insights, they invariably involve some form of loss. In particular, it is the aged and elderly who suffer the greatest sense of loss as theirs are many and varied – children leave home, friends or family members die, the body begins to fail, mental abilities often diminish and social status is lost. More significantly, perhaps, old people often lose opportunities and the promises of the future. Yet despite these negative aspects, old age can also offer its own particular rewards and possibilities for growth, as my own experiences and investigations have shown.
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Jenks, P. 2013. An unknown country. University of Cape Town.