Is Age Just a Number?

A comment I have heard on multiple occasions , “age is just a number”. As someone who will be 52 this year, I am very aware that some people consider this old and truthfully, when I was in my 20’s I too thought this was “old”. Fact is I do not feel old, I have friends of varied ages, I am fitter than I have been in a long time, I look after my skin and these days it’s easy to dress in clothes that suit most age groups.

On the flip side there are many advertisements for things for over 50’s and to my amusement marketing people feel it good advertising to use a photo or actual people that would be closer in age to 65 as their way to entice a 50 year old to buy something! This may have worked in the past but these days it falls well short of the mark. Having had this discussion with a few people, I feel it’s very much a generational thing. My grandmothers looked and behaved a lot older at 50 than my mum and my mum seemed older at 50 than I do. No doubt my daughter will seem younger again when she reaches 50!

If we take away the physicality of age, we are all energy. We all know those people that others are drawn to when they walk through the door. The people that exude a certain energy that attracts people to them. They just have this aura about them and can light up a room. Now these aren’t necessarily young people, in fact, many are more mature people. It’s a confidence they have, maybe even a glow but it’s definitely something from within, that shines externally. What makes someone in their 20’s able to have a great friendship with someone in their 40’s? What makes certain people attracted to people much older than themselves, or much younger than themselves? It’s the energy of that person.

Like everything, we as humans and as a society like to label things that do not necessarily need to be labelled. Clearly each year we have a birthday which increases our age another year. Of course increasing age does make us more susceptible to health issues but so do other underlying health conditions that many young people suffer. There will always be people who look “younger” for their age and those who look “older” than their age due to health and perhaps environmental factors. Taking care of yourself is always important physically, mentally and spiritually.

So is age just a number? Does it really matter how old you are? Is it really anyone’s business if you are 30, 40, 50 or 70 for that matter? It all comes back to the judgement of people. We shouldn’t care if we see a 60 year old dressed like a 20 year old because it’s their life and their choice. The way we dress is an individual thing. We shouldn’t care when we see a couple that have an age difference because it’s their relationship and not ours and it’s their choice to be together. I think if we spent less time concerning ourselves with others and more time working on ourselves the world would be a better place.

I do believe that unfortunately we do live in a somewhat ageist society but I try to ignore that. I try to live my own individual life and take each person on their own merits. What someone chooses to wear, who they choose to be in a relationship with and what they choose to do with their life is not my business, nor is their age. If we get on well and they are good human beings, that’s all that matters to me. If we relate well to each other then I believe our energy is in sync and that has nothing to do with their age.

So in my humble opinion I believe age is just a number. I believe we shouldn’t worry what other people think of us if we are being our authentic selves. I actually think it’s a beautiful thing to see people living their lives without the constraint of age. Without labelling themselves or allowing others judgement to change the way they live. To have such freedom is what we should all aspire too.

Live your own life. Be your own person. Do what makes you happy.