Creaky joints

As we age, various challenges inevitably arise. Two things that stand out for me these days are clothes and hair.

 

Clothes are interesting—when you go shopping, you often find slim fit, narrow fit, tight fit, and other styles that our generation didn’t grow up with. But this also becomes an excuse to "renew your youth." You buy these clothes, telling people you have no other choice, but in your heart, you’re happy because you’re following the current trend! Carl Trueman wrote, “If no eighteen-year-old male believes himself to be immortal, no middle-aged male wants to appear any older than he was twenty years ago… it would seem that the market for youth clothing (albeit with slightly expanded waistline sizes) is alive and well long into the territory previously reserved for the superannuated and beyond.”

Hair issues are different. Greying and thinning hair is part of aging. But every time I go for a haircut, the barber suggests coloring, a comb-over, and other new methods to appear younger! Despite my vehement protests, my barber doesn’t give up. He keeps gently prodding, hoping to earn a few quick bucks by making me look younger. Then I have friends my age who want the youthful look but also desire the respect that supposedly comes with grey hair, so they dye most of their hair black but leave a few strategically placed grey strands.

 

Both of these highlight a deeper issue. The underlying desire is to postpone the inevitable, at least in appearance! It’s a deep desire to remain young because being young is "in." But it’s not only about being trendy; it’s also about a desire to live life without confronting the fast-progressing aging process! Being young at heart is one thing, but covering the signs of physical aging is not always about the heart—it might be more about the age you want to project to others.

The desire to live long, beyond your years, or even to achieve immortality is nothing new! Recently, I learned about how the Egyptians mastered the art of mummification and how emperors meticulously planned their tombs and pyramids. Without systems to prevent aging, the best the elite could do was create systems to preserve their bodies, along with the bodies of their wives and servants (in smaller, more ordinary tombs), hoping that one day they would return, along with their servants, to care for them. Wealth was also buried with them to be used in the next life.

The Cryonics Institute and similar organisations offer services to preserve bodies. Cryonics is the practice of preserving humans and animals at cryogenic temperatures in the hope that future science can restore them to a healthy, living condition and rejuvenate them. Currently, about 500 people worldwide have had themselves cryonically preserved. There are 300 in cryosleep in the US, 50 in Russia, around 100 in Europe, and more than 30 pets in Arizona. Over 4,000 people have placed themselves on waiting lists for cryonic preservation in the hope of extending their lives. The majority of those who have signed up tend to be young, male tech entrepreneurs. Many celebrities and tech giants have also signed up for these services.

But these models—whether mummification or cryonics—were only accessible to the elite and emperors, as the costs and systems to preserve life are beyond the reach of all others .

 

What does all this reveal? That deep in our hearts, there is a desire to beat death, reverse aging, and live immortal lives! And if that’s not possible, at least to appear young!

But I wonder, do I really want to live longer than I’m meant to, or appear younger than I am with tight-fitting clothes and blackened hair but creaking joints and a fading memory?

 

Is it not better to accept the offer of a resurrected body, at no cost and live celebrating the age I am each day?