WANTING TO DIE AT 75 YEARS OLD

The old rusty Nail

AN E-JOURNAL FOR OLD PEOPLE

Russell Burton, an Old Person

The other day I saw Dr. Ezekial Emanuel, a practicing physician, affectionately called Zeke on public television (PBS).  He is the oldest and considered the smartest of the three rather famous Manuel’s including one of his brothers who is mayor of Chicago formerly Chief of Staff at the White House under President Obama.

During his interview he was most emphatic about his desire to die when he reached the young age of 75 years.  I note ‘a young age’ because as I look back several years when I was 75 I recall asking myself what is so difficult about this growing old stuff?

Then a couple of years later I began to notice a difference in my physical abilities including balance and the tendency to fall down with greater discomfort than I had previously experienced.  Another problem I acquired was a severe pain in my right leg as I walked even short distances. 

As I have written before, I put off seeing a physician for a couple of years as I thought it was somehow related to the minor drop foot I had acquired prior to this leg pain. You know the pitfalls of self-diagnosis.  But, when I did go for an examination I found that they were not related and that the leg pain could be treated with surgery.  Following the four hours of surgery and my rather rapid recovery and rehabilitation I was able to walk without any pain even one of longer than an hour.

The drop foot caused by a nerve disorder could have been treated with surgery when it first occurred.  Unfortunately, I had waited too long.

When Zeke was pressed by exactly what he meant about dying at age 75 he hedged his statement with the caveat that ‘well he was not going to kill himself but would not seek any medical care after he reached that age’.  When I heard that statement I remembered my leg surgery and how my quality of life was substantially improved because of it.

Zeke went on to note that there are so many disabilities associated with being old that the smart thing to do is just die.  You know he mentioned Alzheimer’s disease, reduced physical capabilities, chronic joint pain, and lack of creativity, just to name a few.  Well welcome to old age Zeke but I am not about to die and I have lived seven years plus passed your magical age of 75 and I am doing pretty well.  Oh sure I’m no 75 year old but I don’t want to die right now.

I was particularly upset about this ‘lack of creativity’ nonsense.  I hear this frequently that an old mind is not creative.  No not ‘as creative’ but dogmatically ‘not creative’ anymore.  Well I published a fantastic mystery novel ‘Mary’ of over 80,000 words which is available on Amazon Kindle for $5.99 when I was 79.  I started writing this Blog on old people when I was 80.  In fact I could not have written about being old starting at 80 without being 80!!!

Now he did concur that there are some ‘outliers’ who are doing pretty well regarding all of his listed infirmities like I am a rarity you know one in a million.  Well not so fast.  I play bridge on a regular basis with three ‘old people’ two of which are older than me, one of which is 87 and she is very capable at the game.  I have written about my uncle who is 92 and he is no mental cripple by any means not to mention the pleasure he has with his Scotch on the rocks each evening.

So what does Zeke mean by outliers?  In fact, I have monthly luncheons with my retired friends and except for one person all of us are mentally alert and physically capable of living a productive still interesting life.  Well some of them never did live a real interesting life even when they were in their prime.

Now Zeke is about 57 years old so 75 is a long way in the future and like I wrote about people are not good at thinking far into the future.  We evolved thinking about the here and now for several reasons one of which is survival.  We have in our DNA the desire to survive at all costs and that involves reacting to the present, not something several years down the road.  Simply, the future can not be appreciated in the present so it is caste off with only casual thought.

But the future has a nasty habit of becoming the present. And, the present must be dealt with now not in the future which takes us back to quality of life. 

Like I have written a good quality of life is just about everything in old age.  And, a good quality of life for old people requires hard work.  When we retire we too often think now I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to do.  You know, my whole life has been filled with requirements many of which I disliked so now that is all gone.

Well, doing some form of physical exercise most everyday is work but it must be done!  Stimulating the brain with mental gymnastics requires effort but it must be done!  You know the old adage, ‘use it or loose it’.  A few years ago a common saying was, ‘a brain is a terrible thing to waste’ but even worse is ‘a brain going to waist is a terrible thing’.   

So, with that very clever turn of words, I close with the thought growing old is interesting but being old is damn hard work yet still interesting Zeke.

PS:

In the October 2014 issue of the Atlantic magazine Zeke wrote an article expressing the same sentiments under the title ‘Why I Hope to Die at 75’. I was intrigued by the correspondence from readers of this article published in the next issue under the heading ‘The Conversation’.

Many of my above views were echoed especially from the older readers.  And like my take the overwhelmingly majority of 74% of all ages disagreed with his ‘Hope’ (and dreams?) of dying at that age.  Of course quality of life was noted many times, simply living just to be living for most readers was not an option.

Of the several letters published many from older readers, not one mentioned that living to be an old person is living another role in life’s journey with many challenges but still very interesting if one’s quality of life remains at an acceptable level.  Half of the population does not have the privilege for they have died.

I liked one letter best recalling his 85-aged grandmother answer when asked who would want to live to be 100?  She replied ‘Someone 99’.  Simply, Zeke does not know what he is writing about until he lives to be 75 then he will probably want to live to be 76, then 77…

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