Sixty-Five Plus can be Just as Smart
 
  By Vijai P. Sharma, Ph.D

I hope you don't have old views about the so called "old people."  They are physically fitter and trimmer and mentally more alert and active than their counterparts at any other time in the history.  Scientists are taking a note of that.  "Young old" is the new term they had to invent for this rather robust population, that is, people between the age of 65 and 75.

As regards work, older people tend to highly dependable, emotionally stable, and productive.  How can they stay productive if their memory, speed, and senses somewhat decline from a previous youthful level?  Answer:  their experience combined with prudence and cautiousness.  

Young old compensate for mental slowdown by using their accumulated experience and knowledge.  For example, a judge who has had the opportunity of listening to hundreds of cases, draws on his or her memory of earlier judgments.  The younger judge is using more of reasoning and the older judge more of memory.  That's the only difference.  

Many jobs are more knowledge and experience based.  Those jobs don't depend that much on the speed of mental or manual skills. In those jobs, one doesn't have to be "quick on one's feet," as the saying goes.   It's a level field for the young and the old. 

Furthermore, even if there is a decline in some of the mental abilities, the ability to work on a particular job that one has done for years, remains intact.  Prolonged job experience protects  those skills.  almost people of their age in leaner and meaner people viewRecent shootings in schools have involved break up of relationship with a girl friend, the love unrequited, or gone sour.  Therefore, this week, the class of "Living 201," is studying a guide specifically prepared for teens by the American Psychological Association (APA), "Love Doesn't Have To Hurt Teens."  During a heated discussion on the subject, one student of our class said, "Love has to hurt sometime.  How can it be that love never hurts?   "Sometimes love can hurt," replied another, "but, when it hurts, bear it with grace.  No guns, no violence, PLEASE!"  

Love can always hurt, but it doesn't ever have to hurt like this.  One of the reasons love hurts is because we blindly follow the stereotypes about males and females.  These stereotypes hurt us.  We are really hung up on this  "guy thing" and "girl thing."  

In the words of the APA, guys often have the idea that it's a guy thing to act tough and to treat girls like property, like they own them.  Guys often try to get their friends' approval by acting like they don't care about anything or anyone.   A guy who likes a particular girl might show off for his friends by treating her badly.  Since she is supposed to be on this planet entirely to serve him, she dare not leave him even if she wants to.  Only he can leave her when he gets tired of her.    

APA goes on to explain that girls may accept the idea that it's a "guy thing" to push girls around, and so they should learn to go along with it.  Many girls believe that it is a "girl thing" to try to figure out and do whatever will keep their boyfriends happy.  They feel they have to do only what the guy wants.  Girls may put up with the guy treating them badly around other guys, with his being really possessive, or being violent and abusive.  

Let's do away with the guy thing and the girl thing, and follow the "right thing."  The right thing is to respect whom you love.  Love should be the only kind of force used between two lovers.         
 
 
 



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