Publisher Betty Irabor has taken to her social media page to educate people on how they see ageing. The entrepreneur shared a photo of two women in their 70s to note her point.
One of the women was looking fit and young, while the other looked really old as she sat on a chair looking outside her window. The caption on the photo says “Both women are 74 years. The choice is yours.” But Betty Irabor does not agree with the caption.
According to her, ageing is not about good gene and healthy living. She noted that life’s unpredictability can make one age fast and happenstances can alter one’s resolve.
Read her note below:
I know what this poster intends to achieve…
its supposed to make us live life more intentionally so we can age gracefully.
I certainly would love not to look a day older than 50 when I turn 74 like the fit fam woman in this poster rather than the OLD WOMAN who looks 80. Who wouldn’t?
We love it when we get compliments on how we don’t look our age because we are defying what OLD looks like.
But I believe this caption is all shade of wrong and misleading. it’s not a true representation of how we age individually because there are so many factors which can fast forward the ageing process.
Ageing comes with many of life’s many unpredictabilities that have no connection with lifestyle choices… or poor choices. People age differently and it may or may not be for lack of living more intentionally. I have seen people age overnight due to trauma (bereavement, mental and physical illness). Would it then be fair to categorize them as ageing badly due to poor choices they made?
Of course not!
Most times in the course of our lives, things that we have no control of can totally derail the otherwise well planned course of our lives. Ageing and Ageing well are both outcomes of Grace.
I am not saying that we ourselves have no roles to play to stay healthy and not succumb to the Ageing process, I am just saying it’s not all black or white as in this poster, there are shades of grey too.
Life afterall can be very unpredictable…and no one has really heard this OLD woman’s story to determine what poor choices she made or whether LIFE JUST HAPPENED to her or what if she is happy to be who she is?
As I stated earlier I get the illustration but I just had to write my own essay….
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