I have written many times that I am a believer in having all older people turn over the reins of control to the younger generation rather than hanging onto power well into old age. It is not because I worry that seniors are incapable of clear thinking, but mostly because modern medicine allows us to live longer. As such it is often the case that a physically healthy individual might dominate a family or a company or even a political position for so long that the generation just behind him or her never receives an opportunity to assume a leadership role. I often use King Charles as an example of how his mother’s longevity as queen left him ascending the throne at a very late stage in his life. In all probability he will at most have a twenty year reign unless his own health is not as exceptional as his mother’s was. Somehow he lost the best years of his life waiting for his own time to come.
At the present moment in our nation’s history we have two old men seeking the highest office in the land. To quibble over which of the two is too old or too forgetful to hold the office is moot. Both candidates sometimes misspeak or forget petty details. Both are old by any definition. One guided our nation through the difficult times of the pandemic and the economic upheavals that plague the entire world. The other has spent the past four years claiming that the election was rigged and whining about his fate. If these two are our only choices I know which one will get my vote and it won’t be the one boasting that he will get retribution or be a dictator on day one of his presidency, the kind of talk that comes from dotty old men.
I am younger than either of our likely presidential candidates but not by much. I celebrated my seventy fifth birthday in November. My memory was once as sharp as a tack, but in spite of my ability to learn difficult concepts quickly I have always had trouble remembering dates. I was in awe of a friend who was able to describe events in her life with a clarity that included the exact month, day and year in which they happened. I would be lucky to guess correctly regarding when certain things happened including the deaths of the most beloved people in my life. I only recall the anniversary of my father’s death because it came on Memorial Day back when that holiday occurred on May 31 rather than the last Monday of the month. If someone were to judge me to be a forgetful old woman simply because I cannot tell you the date on which my mother died without looking it up on Ancestry,com I suppose that I would have to resign from teaching mathematics to homeschooled children.
Likewise I sometimes misspeak or misuse a word when I chatter too quickly. It does not mean that I have forgotten what reality is. I laugh these days because I know that if I went back to college I would do exceptionally well on everything but timed tests. I would need a few more minutes to retrieve information from my brain than I used to require. The knowledge is there but if I’m put on the spot I might sound a bit forgetful. In truth I have almost always been that way. My teachers knew not to send me to contest requiring me to answer questions quickly. I have always been flustered in such situations, but when given ample time my mind works magnificently. Little wonder that people subjected to questions flying like bullets sometimes say the wrong thing.
My father-in-law will be ninety-five in April. He walks into our kitchen each morning and states the day of the week in a kind of question to be sure that he is remembering well. He admits that sometimes he wakes up a bit confused but regains his momentum within minutes. He has to write things down and keep a calendar but who does not need such things? He still manages his own finances and keeps track of the maintenance of his house and his car. We don’t let him drive across town anymore but he can make trips to the pharmacy near our home on a road with a thirty mile an hour speed zone. His mind is clear even if not as quick as it once was.
Recently one of my brothers gave an hilarious description of a trivia game in which his team was comprised of people in their sixties and seventies. Because the questions focused on different eras his team eventually won because they knew the answers to about people and events in the nineteen fifties and sixties. Nonetheless there was one question that stumped them because suddenly their brains would not cooperate. They knew this person had been in movies like Edward Scissorhands and The Pirates of the Caribbean. They remembered his former wife’s name but nobody could come up with his name. The ticking clock seemed to make it impossible for them to retrieve the name, Johnny Depp. Once the buzzer rang they took a deep breath and everyone shouted the answer simultaneously but it was too late. Were they suffering from dementia or was it just an everyday quirk that we all experience?
My preference would be for both parties to choose younger people as candidates for President of the United States. I wish that some of the octogenarians and ninety year olds in Congress would retire. I also know that some the younger politicians are not nearly as mature, experienced or qualified to hold the highest office in the land but surely among them there are exceptional candidates. Both of the men who seem destined to run are old. Both men make gaffes. Both men are forgetful. One man has worked hard everyday for the last four years to steer our nation through difficult times. The other has only complained. For me it is clear who should get my vote. Others will choose differently. Let’s not focus on silliness when deciding in November. We need someone who will work for the American people not someone who can instantly cite a date or come up with a name. They are both forgetful elderly men just as most of us are forgetful people of many ages.
All It Takes Is A Little Love 