Little fills us Westerners with so much terror (and consequent denial) as the idea of aging. Our constant pursuit of eternal beauty, energy and health has caused us to see old age as undignified, something to be feared. A shame, really, considering that traditionally in ours and still in many other cultures, our elders were considered a source of wisdom and serenity.In recent years, a movement called the New Old Age has taken off... and while it surely is commendable to want to remain fit and active into old age, could it be that it is just out of a reaction to that ageist attitude that still prevails, as if one has to prove oneself and justify one's existence past retirement age? Which just goes to show that the original problem is still alive and well.
Klein addresses precisely that when he travelled to the Greek Islands to explore the locals' attitude to aging.
The Huffington Post wrote a fantastic review, which says "Klein returned to the Greek village and philosophers he has visited for decades to discover authentic ways of aging. In his funny and wry account, 'Travels with Epicurus: A Journey to a Greek Island in Search of a Fulfilled Life', he concludes that old age is a privilege to be savored, rather than a disease to be cured or a condition to be denied."
And Marcus Berkmann, author of A Shed of One's Own, writes in the Daily Mail: "Reading this book after a period of overwork and high stress, I was bowled over by its easy charm and hard-won wisdom. I shall be buying it in bulk as presents for my equally overburdened peers, and I suspect a few older people will enjoy it, too."
Read the first chapter here.
Patty
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