There have been so many wonderful new changes and improvements in our lives that it is often mind-boggling. For example, Amazon not only delivers the cheapest item overnight (at a premium) and not only e-mails you when it is delivered, but also provides a photo of the package on your doorstep. You have to love it!

Unfortunately, not everything is “turning up in color” in all areas of life.

In many ways, our culture has decayed to the point where almost everything is considered acceptable and sometimes desirable. Some things that exist today could not have been imagined in the recent past. These are just a few examples, some more important than others:

* Surgical gender change is good.

* Infanticide at birth is okay.

* It is stylish to wear jeans with holes.

* The neckline and the back are increasingly revealing.

* Inappropriate language is common and acceptable and is used by everyone.

* Citizenship is an archaic relic of the past.

* Tribal group thinking is preferable to individual thinking and common sense.

* Drug-induced altered states of consciousness are common and desirable.

One can agree or disagree with some or all of the above, it doesn’t matter. Changes exist and are largely accepted without judgment. I quote the changes to make a point, and the point is this:

Despite all the cultural and often revolutionary changes, there is an outdated norm that remains intact and is as strong as ever: the acceptance that “old age” ALWAYS equals decadence.

It is NOT generally accepted or believed that as people age, they CAN FREQUENTLY CHANGE AND GROW, IN NEW, YOUNG WAYS that defy decline. But let’s not go crazy here; the decline is profitable and underpins and feeds the traditional culture of old-age leisure. Perversely, the cultural decline of the elderly is an economic “benefit.”

The same old story

It’s the same old story about old age. At 80-90 years, a woman is practically leprous. For many, especially women, it is a horrible situation to be in. The young abhor old age and avoid or ignore the elderly. In general, they make fun of the elderly, often alone. Old women are called “cute” and persuaded to live in “retirement” communities to play games while they deteriorate. The age of 90 is a safe bet that you are senile (even without testing), and younger people automatically treat you as less competent. Yuck, it’s disgusting. You can be incompetent at 90, but you can also be incompetent at a younger age that has not been identified as “old.”

In relationships, “she must be younger than him” is the inflexible determinant for a woman to be with a man. Old women in good physical shape are wrinkled and therefore unattractive, while bearded, wrinkled and sick old men with their bellies hanging from the belt are distinguished and acceptable.

Mentally and physically, women tend to last longer than men. Typically, a 70-year-old woman is still in her prime, while a 70-year-old man has had open heart surgery, has prostate problems, diabetes, and trouble walking. But that does not matter to a mentally and / or physically committed old man looking for a new love: he wants a much younger woman because it has always been that way. You feel entitled. In his head, he still thinks he’s a desirable stud even if he’s powerless.

He imagines he still has it going, and finding a viable young woman validates his fantasy from his youth. Looking not too far into the future, she is aware that a younger woman can be a better caregiver than an older woman. The sad thing is, if you have money, your decline often doesn’t matter to a younger (or older) woman, and can indeed be an attraction.

The common sense solution

My solution is simple: legalize the perceived age. Whatever legal age you say and you can live it mentally and physically. Please don’t tell me that there are too many hurdles and loopholes to overcome to make it work. Look, if a man’s penis and related organs can be cut off to become a woman, anything is possible. For whatever reason, we don’t want to change the system. We want to keep pretending that a confused old man with only half a brain is an attractive and acceptable companion for a vital woman younger or of the same age.

Does injustice also worry you? Let me know when you’re ready to help change the system. Let me know when you are ready to fight to be the person within you that screams for legal freedom to be the age you want to be. No surgery is necessary. Just guts and determination to fight and win the fight. Imagine if that happens: men will run like rats (to no avail) to try and maintain youthful attributes (if any) while they can. That’s what women are doing right now and they’re doing a great job. Competition could eliminate the justice problems of “old age” and level the playing field of “them against us” in life and love.