Aging and Culture

“The Road Not Taken” Two roads diverged in a yellow wood And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long as I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth. Then took the other as just as fair And having perhaps the better claim; Because it was grassy and wanted wear, Though as for that, the passing there Had worn them really about the same. And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet, knowing how way leads onto way I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh, Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. -Robert Frost *Photograph by Christopher M. Carpenter

In “The Road Not Taken” Robert Frost explains how life is like a path that turns and forks. The crossroads of this path represent the choices we make in life. As we travel this path, making choices, we grow up, mature, and age. However, one choice is denied. We have to continue on and we cannot turn back. Maybe we can pause, but we cannot linger long, and there are no exceptions. This has been a fact throughout human history and it will continue to be a factor and concern in our future.

Aging is a universal human trait. It’s something everyone in every culture and nation experiences. Aging is something all humans have in common. Every society has elderly or aged individuals. However, societies differ on how they handle the aging process, the number of elderly individuals within their society, and their relationship with the elderly members of their society.

We may all be growing older, but we don’t all agree on what this means. Many cultures have different perceptions of their elders. Cultures differ in their beliefs on appropriate roles for the elderly and what activities their aged population should perform. Yet, most societies have a few basic common values. We tend to value life, from the life of the newborn to the very elderly, and we tend to value prolonging life as long as possible, with few exceptions.

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Written by Rachel Frisk, 2000