There have been so many wonderful new changes and improvements in our lives that it is often mind blowing. For example, Amazon not only delivers the cheapest item the next day (preferred) and not only sends you an email when it is delivered, but also provides a photo of the package at your doorstep. You have to love it!

Unfortunately, not everything is roses in all areas of life.

In many ways, our culture has declined to the point where almost everything is considered acceptable and sometimes desirable. Some things that exist today could not have been imagined in the recent past. Here are just a few examples, some more significant than others:

*Surgical gender change is good.

*Infanticide at birth is okay.

*It’s chic to wear jeans with holes.

* Necklines and buttocks are increasingly revealing.

* Inappropriate language is common and acceptable and is used by everyone.

* Civility is an archaic relic of the past.

*Tribal groupthink is preferable to individual thinking and common sense.

*Drug-induced altered states of consciousness are common and desirable.

One can agree or disagree with some or all of the above, it doesn’t matter. Changes exist and are largely accepted without judgment. I cite the changes to make a point, and the point is this:

Despite all the cultural and often revolutionary changes, there is one outdated norm that remains intact and as solid as ever: the acceptance that “old age” ALWAYS equals decay.

It is generally NOT accepted or believed that as people age, THEY MAY CHANGE AND GROW IN NEW YOUNG WAYS that defy decline. But let’s not go crazy here; the decline is profitable and underpins and feeds the traditional culture of leisure in old age. Perversely, the cultural decline of the elderly is an economic “benefit.”

The same old story

It’s the same old story about old age. At 80-90 years old, a woman is practically a leper. For many, especially women, it’s a horrible box to be in. The young abhor old age and avoid or ignore the old. In general, they make fun of the elderly, often alone. Old ladies are called “cute” and persuaded to live in “retired” communities to play while they deteriorate. The age of 90 is a sure bet that you’re senile (even without evidence), and younger people automatically treat you like you’re less than competent. Yuk – it’s disgusting. One can be incompetent at 90, but one can also be incompetent at a younger age that has not been identified as “old.”

In relationships, “she must be younger than him” is the inflexible determinant for a woman to be with a man. Old women in good physical shape are wrinkled and therefore unattractive, while old men who are bearded, wrinkled, sick, and with their bellies hanging over their belts are distinguished and acceptable.

Mentally and physically, women tend to last longer than men. A 70 year old woman is usually still in her prime, while a 70 year old man has had open heart surgery, has prostate problems, diabetes and has trouble walking. But that doesn’t matter to a mentally and/or physically compromised old man looking for a new love: he wants a much younger woman because she’s always been like that. He feels entitled. In his head, he still believes that he is a desirable stud, even if he is impotent.

He figures he still has it going, and finding a viable younger woman validates his fantasy of his youth. Looking not far down the road, he is aware that a younger woman is potentially a better caregiver than an older woman. The sad thing is, if she has money, her decline often doesn’t matter to a younger (or older) woman and can actually be an attraction.

The common sense solution

My solution is simple: legalize perceived age. You are of the legal age you claim to be and are mentally and physically able to live up to it. Please don’t tell me there are too many legal hurdles and loopholes to get around to make it work. Look, if a man can have his penis and related organs cut off to become a woman, anything is possible. For some reason, we don’t want to change the system. We want to continue to pretend that an additional old man with only half a brain is an attractive and acceptable match for a young woman or woman of the same vital age.

Does injustice also worry you? Let me know when you’re ready to help change the system. Let me know when you’re ready to fight to be the person in you screaming for the legal freedom to be the age you want to be. No surgery is necessary. Just grit and determination to fight and win the fight. Imagine if that happens: men will rush around like rats (to no avail) to try to hold on to any remaining youthful attributes (if any) for as long as they can. That’s what women are doing right now and they’re doing a great job. Competition could eliminate the equity issues of “old age” and level the “them vs. us” playing field in life and love.