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V t»\<;r. 20 IM.AINDEALER-WEDNESDAY OCTOBER :il. 197:$ Is Age Beautiful? Ask "Respect Life" reaction is to withdraw from it into himself and to become preoccupied with the past when •everything was so much better." The problems of growing old (This article was submitted by the Respect Life committee.) The agirg -- 25 million in this country alone - are frequently forced to pass the last days of their earthly lives in poverty, sickness, hunger, inadequate housing, and loneliness. Is there a more scandalous testimony than this to a world unwilling to reverence human life? The Respect Life program in the coming week wishes to call attention to the plight of the aged and to the need of all of us to shift our thinking^jn regard to growing old The prestige and the respected status of the elderly have a long tradition in Japan. One of their neo-Confucjan scholars expressed itjLhis^ay: "Filial piety is what distinguishes men from birds and beasts." But McHenry is not in Japan, and "Old is beautiful!" isn't a popular slogan in America. Of the elderly in the Western world, F.E. Crowe has said they "are perhaps the loneliest generation that ever inhabited the face of the earth." Simone de Beauvoir in her monumental study on old age, La Vieillesse, paints a gloomy picture of Western civilization's attitude towards its old. Old people, she claims, are often not treated as human beings. In France, she tells us, elderly people are frequently placed in homes or hospitals by their children during vacation time, and after summer the children "forget" to bring them back. Everybody is growing older, and the old are living longer. But our youth culture insists that we not think it is hap­ pening, and our economy says we can't afford to let it happen. Our youth-oriented civilization makes it ever more difficult for one to grow old gracefully, because the aging man and woman receive little un­ derstanding and support from society in the crisis of a per­ sonal transition to old age. The older person is beset with fears: 1) inflation will wipe out h^s savings, and social security- pension plans won't meet rising expenses; 2) "life" is behind him, and his abilities are declining; 3) he doesn't fit into today's fast-changing world, and being old isn't acceptable or appreciated. Statistics show anywhere from one-fourth to over half of the elderly in our country to be living in poverty. They do not have enough money to cover even marginal living expenses. Six million live in un­ satisfactory quarters. Those living in institutions can find the food and care of a scan­ dalously low grade. Tran­ sportation is often a real problem. Health problems increase dramatically: malnutrition is a major problem of the elderly; poor vision and hearing are common among the over-65, major chronic diseases (such as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis) afflict the elderly. Our culture heightens the psychological problems present in growing old. Neither sex is helped to see that each age level possesses its own < distinctive beauty, its own attractiveness. The older woman is only made aware that her bloom is fading, that her physical presence no longer holds the same attraction. Ads only tell her to hide what's happening and aim for a beauty , and life-style characteristic of a younger age. She's bothered by the inevitable physical ailments that make themselves felt, and she is subject to moodiness, irritability, and unrest. When a man reaches the age of 50 or so, he meets his noon-day devil. Everything suddenly comes under question: his professional life, his relations to his fellow men, his sexual life. He usually feels his professional efficiency decreasing, and he begins to lose his confidence and security. One of the more interesting discoveries of recent geron­ tology is that each person is in reality three different ages at once: the chronological age, which is determined by the number of years he has lived; the biological age, which is determined by the condition and state of his body; and the WARING CONCERT Fred Waring and his Penn- svlvanians will open the 1973-74 Community concert season Friday evening, Nov. 16 at 8:15 p.m. at the Belvidere Com­ munity building This year Fred Waring presents his all new, young Pennsylvanians He has hand picked a group of extremely talented young people to present to the nation. They are from all parts of the country and from nis summer Music Workshop. With young faces and young sounds. Waring has found the key to rfnake the old enjoy the young fend the young appreciate the old. The new Fred Waring -Show, "America, I Hear You Singing," will surely provide the audience with a most en- tortnininu cnniw>r( ovoninp psychological age, which is measured by how old a person feels and acts. As we all grow older, we need to be mindful of the accomplishments of people old chronologically and even biologically. The immortal John Milton wrote a huge amount of sublime poetry during the last twenty years of his life, when he was com­ pletely blind Ludwig von Beethoven continued com­ posing, even though he was completely deaf for the last fifteen years of his life. Whenever we. tend to "write off" the old or the handicapped, we ought to remember Milton's "Paradise Lost" or Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. To the retired person, the world of the present can appear "too different," unfriendly, harsh, even hostile. His first are numerous and increasing - for society and for all the in­ dividuals (all of us, even­ tually) involved. Respect Life urges legislation to ease the economic plight of the aged, as well as community programs to assist senior citizens (providing transportation and "meals on wheels" are two examples). Understanding a problem that is everybody's is of paramount importance; for this, the booklet "Growing^Old, And How To Cope With It" by Alfons Deeken is almost a mL Some people base their lives on what will pay: others, on what is right. CDQ was used as call letters for distress signals, before SOS was adopted. WANTZP: A 7Z>IA/ izuat AND PRl[/Z£ AS &OUNCEZ IN A PRIZE -/A/ !//£=. For Your Information STUDENT INVENTORS - Robert Torrez, Corey Weed, Diane Keller and Rosalie McCoy proudly display a "time machine" they constructed for use in the learning center while they read stories to the young children at Hilltop school. SAVE 10%... ON ALL CHRISTMAS CARDS McHenry County Letter Service F Another thoughtful gesture that can be made for a family undergoing the sorrow of a^funeral service is to find someone who will stay at home and straighten up whl.l®°^® are at the service. It's a surpris ng relie^ for the family to return to heir freshly aired, and orderly home. Perhaps light refreshments can be made ready as well. Respectfully, 3509 W. Pearl, McHenry 815-385-0258 BUSINESS & PERSONAL CARDS FOR ALL OCCASIONS." ib* PETER iVWDSTEN & SON FUNERAL HOME 38.V0063 Menen ry Seagram's CROWN ROYAL Jlil "ttltAUON IMPORTED 1971-1972 ***» (AUON "H-f GALLON DANIELS $ST98 BLACK FIFTH GERMAN WINES YOUR CHOICE LIEBFRAUMILCH NIERSTEINER D0M0AL MOSELBLUMCHEN ZELLER SCHWARZE KATZ MAY WINE 0PPENHEMIER KROETENBRUNNER LEORANDI'S PIZZA Large 10" Size $1 39 Bits. MILLER'S 24-12 Oz. Cans I BUBBLE UP or QUANTITIES RESERVE PRICES EFFECTIVE PAY • 4610 W. ROUTE 120 • McHENRY /