{"id":145943,"date":"2021-01-02T18:14:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-02T15:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/opinion-what-is-the-secret-to-aging-well\/"},"modified":"2021-01-02T18:14:00","modified_gmt":"2021-01-02T15:14:00","slug":"opinion-what-is-the-secret-to-aging-well","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/opinion-what-is-the-secret-to-aging-well\/","title":{"rendered":"#\n  Opinion: What is the secret to aging well?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a34940ea44e1\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a34940ea44e1\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/opinion-what-is-the-secret-to-aging-well\/#Intergenerational_connection_could_be_a_defining_feature_of_American_resilience\" >Intergenerational connection could be a defining feature of American resilience<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/opinion-what-is-the-secret-to-aging-well\/#Kerry_Hannon\" >Kerry Hannon<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#<br \/>\n  Opinion: What is the secret to aging well?<br \/>\n<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"article__subhead\" itemprop=\"alternativeHeadline\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Intergenerational_connection_could_be_a_defining_feature_of_American_resilience\"><\/span>\n  Intergenerational connection could be a defining feature of American resilience<br \/>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"column column--full article__content\">\n<div id=\"js-article__body\" class=\"article__body article-wrap at16-col16 barrons-article-wrap\" itemprop=\"articleBody\" data-sbid=\"WP-MKTW-0000085164\">\n<div class=\"barrons-article-ad-wrapper\">\n<div data-track=\"barrons-article-ad-wrap\" class=\"barrons-article-ad sticky_item\">\n<div class=\"barrons-main-article-ad-target sticky_target body_ad\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>       Here\u2019s the million, or let\u2019s say, billion-dollar<br \/>\nquestion: What is aging well and how do you do it? What\u2019s the secret elixir? <\/p>\n<p> There are expert presentations on a Ted<br \/>\nTalk playlist: <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ted.com\/playlists\/227\/talks_to_make_you_feel_good_ab\" class=\"icon none\">How to<br \/>\nMake You Feel Good About Getting Older<\/a>.<br \/>\nAnd there are droves of self-help books, exercise regimes, healthy diet gurus<br \/>\nand lines of cosmetics that this query has spawned. <\/p>\n<div class=\"paywall\">\n       That\u2019s where Marc Freedman, founder and chief executive of\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.encore.org\/\" class=\"icon none\">Encore.org<\/a> and the author of <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/How-Live-Forever-Connecting-Generations\/dp\/1541767802\/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr=\" class=\"icon none\">\u201cHow to Live Forever: The Enduring Power of Connecting the Generations,<\/a>\u201d comes in. <\/p>\n<p>Freedman is one of those experts on the<br \/>\nlongevity revolution who makes you stop and listen. Really listen. Trust me on<br \/>\nthis. In his latest book, out in paperback this week, he explores longevity,<br \/>\nyouth, purpose and h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>iness, and the role older people can play in giving back<br \/>\nto the next generation.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s not a disciple of retirement. As he told me in an interview: \u201cAll too often, individuals are left to their own devices when it comes to finding a new sense of purpose in a postretirement period that could be as long as the middle years in duration. Many feel like they are all alone in navigating the new terrain, practically and emotionally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Learning to age well requires an<br \/>\nemotional shift. More yesterdays than tomorrows has a way of adding an urgency<br \/>\nto this stage of life. \u201cTime is more precious.\u201d Freedman says. \u201cQuestions of<br \/>\npurpose and legacy are more prominent. That can sound depressing, but for many<br \/>\npeople it is a powerful source of motivation for making the most of this<br \/>\nperiod.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I spoke with Freedman about his<br \/>\nbook, \u201cHow to Live Forever,\u201d and his views of aging well. The highlights of our<br \/>\nconversation are below and have been edited and condensed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>We now have more people over 60 in this country than under<br \/>\n18. How can we make an aging society work?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>America is becoming a much more multigenerational society,<br \/>\nwith five generations alive at the same time. This is no temporary blip; it\u2019s a<br \/>\npermanent shift. Some see this transformation producing a zero-sum battle<br \/>\nbetween old and young over scarce resources, but this dystopian scenario runs<br \/>\ncounter to much of human history.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Actually, there\u2019s good reason for optimism. Anthropologists now believe it was the role of grandmothers caring for young children (and allowing mothers to gather more food) that served as the turning point in our becoming human beings in the first place. And developmental psychologists studying both ends of the age spectrum today are discovering that the needs and assets of younger and older people fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Just ask any grandparent.<\/p>\n<div id=\"cx-membership-tile\"><\/div>\n<p>Now\u2019s the time to build on these inherent and complementary<br \/>\nassets. Let\u2019s find new ways to bring the generations together to forge bonds,<br \/>\nfind joint purpose, and bridge divides. Intergenerational connection could be a<br \/>\ndefining feature of American resilience in the 21st century.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How has the pandemic affected the generational divide?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s face it, a powerful message to our generation \u2014 I say<br \/>\nthis as a 62-year-old \u2014 has been \u201cstay home, stay safe \u2014 and stay out of the<br \/>\nway.\u201d That message has reinforced ageism and the age segregation that has grown<br \/>\nso rampant in American society. It\u2019s driven a wedge between generations, within<br \/>\nfamilies and in communities.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, by separating us, the pandemic has<br \/>\nawakened a deeper appreciation for our essential interdependence across age and<br \/>\nled to calls for the creativity that will be needed to bring young and old<br \/>\ntogether again when it\u2019s over.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>You call for dramatic innovation in the ways we bring<br \/>\ngenerations together. What are you seeing in the past few years that excites<br \/>\nyou?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re going to need to be as creative in bringing people together across age as we\u2019ve been in splitting them apart, an imperative all the more urgent in the context of COVID\u2019s toll. The good <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> is that innovation is already under way.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I recounted many examples of innovative practices in <em>How<br \/>\nto Live Forever<\/em>, but I\u2019m even more heartened by the wave of innovation I\u2019ve<br \/>\nwitnessed since the book was first published two years ago. One of my favorite<br \/>\nexamples is <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nunsandnones.org\/\" class=\"icon none\">Nuns and Nones<\/a>,<br \/>\noriginated by a group of young changemakers, spiritually-inclined but<br \/>\nreligiously unaffiliated (the \u201cnones\u201d), who sought out older Women Religious<br \/>\nall over the country (the \u201cnuns\u201d) for guidance about living a good life and<br \/>\nleaving the world better than we found it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Nuns and Nones also underscores how much of the push toward<br \/>\ngenerational connection and collaboration is coming from young people. Young<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> entrepreneurs are behind <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nesterly.io\/\" class=\"icon none\">Nesterly<\/a>, a homesharing<br \/>\nplatform that brings homeowners with room to spare together with college<br \/>\nstudents who need affordable rents; <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bigandmini.org\/\" class=\"icon none\">Big &amp; Mini<\/a>, a<br \/>\ncommunity that\u2019s reducing isolation by helping to create intergenerational<br \/>\nfriendships; and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.monami.io\/\" class=\"icon none\">Mon Ami<\/a>, an app that\u2019s being<br \/>\nused by governments and nonprofits to mobilize large-scale volunteer efforts.<\/p>\n<p>And there are so many more. I encourage folks to take a look<br \/>\nat our 15 new <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/encore.org\/gen2gen-innovation-fellowship\/\" class=\"icon none\">Gen2Gen Innovation Fellows<\/a>.<br \/>\nThe work they\u2019re doing gives me confidence about our future.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How can individuals age-integrate their own lives, even in<br \/>\nthe pandemic?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It all comes down to a pair of priorities: proximity and<br \/>\npurpose. How\u2019s that for alliteration!\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>By proximity, I mean finding ways to encounter individuals of different ages and generations, whether in the course of daily life or even via Zoom. To resist the scourge of age segregation.\u00a0And by purpose, I\u2019m talking about the need to make these intergenerational connections in ways that reinforce common, shared interests that animate our lives.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We could go a long way to finding proximity and purpose in<br \/>\nthis country, for example, by creating intergenerational service programs aimed<br \/>\nat connecting youngers and olders to use their complementary skills to solve<br \/>\nlocal problems \u2014 like contact tracing, feeding the hungry, educating children,<br \/>\nand rebuilding after disasters.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But there\u2019s one more way to age-integrate that anyone can do<br \/>\nright now, no infrastructure needed. In a word, listen. One of my mentors, in<br \/>\nhis 80s at the time, once told me it\u2019s a lot more important to be <em>interested<\/em><br \/>\nthan to be <em>interesting<\/em>. It\u2019s certainly one of the keys to bridging<br \/>\ndifference, across age as well as many other divides.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Does it matter that we now have the oldest president in the<br \/>\nnation\u2019s history?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a striking paradox: Just as we\u2019re pushing more and more<br \/>\nolder people to the sidelines during this time of pandemic \u2014 increasing not<br \/>\nonly loneliness but its close cousin, purposelessness \u2014 we\u2019ve also witnessed<br \/>\nthe leadership of so many older men and women.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The nearly 80-year-old Dr. Anthony Fauci has served as a voice of calm reason and deep knowledge throughout the battle with COVID. Elder icons like the late Congressman John Lewis and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg continued their life\u2019s work to build an equitable society with deep passion to the very end. And now we have the oldest president-elect in American history.<\/p>\n<p>Some express legitimate concerns about a gerontocracy holding on to power at the expense of younger people. All the more reason that our elder leaders, starting with the new president, should take this moment to call the generations to common purpose, to ask old and young alike to roll up their sleeves to create a stronger, more cohesive society together, and to make the most of the multigenerational moment already washing over us.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thanks for your time, Marc. My personal favorite takeaway. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot more important to be interested than to be interesting.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.kerryhannon.com\/\" class=\"icon none\">Kerry Hannon<\/a><\/em><em>\u00a0is<br \/>\na leading expert and strategist on work and jobs, entrepreneurship, personal<br \/>\nfinance and retirement. Kerry is the author of more than a dozen books,<br \/>\nincluding\u00a0<\/em><em><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Great-Pajama-Jobs-Without-Commute\/dp\/1119647770\/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;qid=1588940252&amp;refinements=p_27:Kerry+E.+Hannon&amp;s=books&amp;sr=1-1&amp;text=Kerry+E.+Hannon\" class=\"icon none\">Great Pajama Jobs: Your Complete Guide to Working From Home<\/a><\/em><em>,\u00a0<\/em><em><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Never-Too-Old-Rich-Entrepreneurs\/dp\/1119547903\" class=\"icon none\">Never Too Old To Get Rich: The Entrepreneurs Guide To Starting<br \/>\na Business Mid-Life<\/a><\/em><em>,\u00a0<\/em><em><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Great-Jobs-Everyone-50-Updated\/dp\/1119363322\/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=1588940461&amp;sr=1-1\" class=\"icon none\">Great Jobs for Everyone 50+<\/a><\/em><em>,<br \/>\nand\u00a0<\/em><em><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Money-Confidence-Really-Financial-Single\/dp\/1682614336\/ref=sr_1_15?dchild=1&amp;qid=1588940531&amp;refinements=p_27:Kerry+E.+Hannon&amp;s=books&amp;sr=1-15&amp;text=Kerry+E.+Hannon\" class=\"icon none\">Money Confidence<\/a><\/em><em>.<br \/>\nHer on Twitter\u00a0<\/em><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/#!\/KerryHannon\" class=\"icon none\">@kerryhannon<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"byline article__byline\">\n<p>      <span>By<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author  hasMenu\" data-scrim='{\"type\":\"author\",\"header\":\"Kerry Hannon\",\"subhead\":\"The Wall Street Journal\",\"list\":[]}' itemscope itemprop=\"author\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Person\">\n<h4 itemprop=\"name\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Kerry_Hannon\"><\/span>Kerry Hannon<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/news\/story.asp?guid=%7B21005575-02D4-D4B5-4572-D14CACF0ECB4%7D&#038;siteid=rss&#038;rss=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;# Opinion: What is the secret to aging well? &#8221; Intergenerational connection could be a defining feature of American resilience Here\u2019s the million, or let\u2019s say, billion-dollar question: What is aging well and how do you do it? What\u2019s the secret elixir? There are expert presentations on a Ted Talk playlist: How to Make You&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":145944,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-145943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=145943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/145944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=145943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=145943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=145943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}