The Fear of Old People

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jeremy_Nir]Jeremy Nir
So you don't like old people, I get it. They smell like medicine, they have tubes connecting their splotchy tissue-paper arms to all sorts of machines, and they always have white gobs in the corners of their mouths. You may suffer from Gerontophobia. To those with an old person phobia, the elderly may well be a constant reminder of the decaying existence that lies just beyond the river bend, and of course - death.
I get that you love your grandma, and so do I (love mine that is). So why is it that she grosses you out so much?
It is said that the fear of the elderly is caused by young people not believing that they share any common ground with old folks. If young is beautiful then old is a saggy sack. If young is tomorrow then old is so last year. On the flip-flop side, old people can resent youngsters for everything they no longer have and in turn fear their own aging process. The thought of getting put out on the ice floe with the best years behind you would probably suck.
It is this fear that fuels the ever-growing Anti-Aging Market which is estimated at over 500 Billion dollars worldwide. With so much to gain many companies spend a lot of money getting the message out there that young = good and old = bad. It is a concept very much integrated with our culture where celebrities look younger every year and natural aging is the way of the past.
How can I get over my fear of old people and getting old?
1. Become aware that your fear of the elderly and aging is not yours. It was likely put there large corporations so you will buy buy buy!
2. A recent article in The Economist found that the average person is happy in their youth, sinks deeper and deeper into depression as they age until they hit that "mid-life crisis" age around 50 years old. As a we age beyond 50, people tend to get more and more happy!
3. Get to know the elderly in your life as real people. Hear their stories and have some empathy. These people had a first kiss, had big dreams, made sacrifices, had families, loved, lost, and all the rest of what makes up a life.
4. Remember that it is a lucky person who lives long enough to gross young people out!
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