The ‘New Old’ – Redefining ‘Old’

Older woman on a climbing wall

One of the challenges facing anyone writing about age – is how to avoid the little word with the unwanted baggage and bias, old. To be ‘Old’ is toxic for so many in today’s society that there’s an ongoing search to find a replacement, a more acceptable, less toxic word. Many replacements e.g seniors, elders, new olders, elder, legends, oldies etc, etc have been tried.  Anything, as long as, it isn’t ‘old.’ Nothing’s stuck, there’s no universally accepted replacement. I faced the same problem and while I may be happy being old, right now I’m one of the few.

DiscoverAge is no different a new word or phrase was needed that was free of cultural prejudice and ageist bigotry, a word ‘innocent’ of the connotations of the ‘old’ of yesteryear but communicating the essence, the sense of age. I searched for a DiscoverAge slant. I tried all sorts, but nothing felt right, until one day I realised, as so often happens, the answer lay in the question. ‘What’s a new word for old?’ In my mind new and old morphed and suddenly belonged side by side, ‘new old’ burst forth, loud and right! Together they are very different from the ‘old’ old. ‘New old’ is a juxtaposition of opposites creates a different mind space and changed expectation. It is also the truth, when compared to the generations who have gone before, we are, unquestionably, the ‘new old.’

‘New old’ is fresh, innovative and optimistic, fitting for the men and women in the twenty-first century with their dramatically increased life expectancy. It has a zest and isn’t tainted by the past. The new old changes the little unwelcome ‘old’ into a giant of opportunity and possibility. It will help change how we see ourselves and how society sees the old, ooops, how society sees the new old.

To be new old will, I hope, soon become the proud boast of the age qualified.

It’s useful to remember that we’ve been here before. Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, in the 1960s we are the generation who changed age and shook the world. We were teenagers and we created ‘youth.’ Before our generation there had been childhood, school, work, marry, become a parent, work an exceedingly long time, retire and soon pass.

Before our revolutionary generation there was no stage in life called ‘young.’ Being young wasn’t differentiated or celebrated. It didn’t exist. Instinctively, we understood that there needed to be a new classification, a new word to represent who we were. We changed ageing. We created something new, a completely new stage of life called young. ‘Young’ that has become the all-conquering, demanding and divisive ‘youth’ culture. Youth that taunts and denies, that derides growing old, that urges us to ‘fight age.’

Fast forward sixty years. The ‘new’ young of the nineteen sixties are the new old of the twenty twenties. There is déjà vu, once again ageing needs a revolution; society has changed. It is the time for the new old, healthy active people who are sixty, seventy, eighty and on into the deep years. We were right about young, and the future will confirm we are right about new old.

Decades later, once again, we are at the vanguard of a massive passive social upheaval and as before we are delinquents, ‘new old’ delinquents. Time to put aside words like elderly, elders, grizzled, ancient, and decrepit. The new old is free of the bias, prejudice and negativity of old and ageism. The ‘New old’ a ravishing juxtaposition of life’s opposites, creates a different mind space and changed expectation. It’s also the truth, compared to the men and women who have gone before, we are, unquestionably, the ‘new old.’

To be old in the twenty-first century is a brand new, never-before life opportunity. The new old can look forward to decades of healthy. We are the new old, discovering age, pioneers of a new age.

October 1 is the International Day of Older Persons. Older Persons? A clunky, unappealing phrase. I recommend this be changed to the ‘International Day of the New Old.’ Much better.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *