“facetious” is all i have to say. spock said, “live long and prosper.” but no one really wants to be at that point where their body has failed them, where they can’t function. what is prosperous about alzheimer’s?

Seriously? I should BE so unfortunate! :-D

What Matt didn’t discuss (Maybe Matt can do a follow-up on this very subject? ;-)) was the flipside of this “fountain of youth” mentality – the fear/loathing of being old. Now that “new is better,” old must be worse. And that includes people, to our culture’s shame. No longer are the aging parents honored and cared for at home; they’re considered a problem to be dealt with and shipped away to a place where they can die among strangers. No longer is their advice heeded; their opinions must be archaic and outdated. After all, they’re old, aren’t they?

This flies directly in the face of Biblical teaching, which views gray hair, children, and inheritances as not only righteous, but desirable.

You’re quite right on the point about previous generations. I don’t want to pretend that our forefather’s had it all peachy without having to deal with any of these problems we face today.

What I am critiquing is the treatment of those issues today by the media and other influencers such that youth are forced to engage on a level that they ought not to.

Should these problems be glossed over as if they don’t exist? No. Should they be surveyed fully and even gloried in? That, despite general culture’s answer to the contrary, ought to be “no” as well.

@Kately:

Thanks. I’m sure we’ll connect about it as soon as you’re not quite so busy. :-)

I think this is my favorite post you’ve done. … [second to wonder]

Just thought I’d put that thought out there…I want to discuss this with you sometime.

Everything in our culture that is directed towards younger and younger audiences is a shame. But at the same time, you can’t be so generalized — these generations, with all their toys and “adult” issues, are no different than any other generation. The emotions and situations are still the same. You don’t think that little kids in the 1920s had parents that got divorced? Or that young children were drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes? Working 14 hour days in factories? Jerking off in bathroom stalls? They were just as debauched and horny overburdened as kids are today (granted, the media didn’t necessarily direct their attention towards “tweens” — there was no such thing as Twilight or Avatar or Bratz, or whatever).

As for these starlets that you mention — they’re just as f—ed up as anyone else, except they have one more problem: their lives are the object of universal speculation. They can’t be f—ed up in private, like the rest of us can. They have to be f—ed up in front of the public, who scrutinizes them to no degree. I’m not trying to defend the Lindsey Lohan’s or the Britney Spears’ types — but c’mon! Fame is a tricky horse to ride. And do you really think that going out in a flame of glory is beautiful, or are you just being overly sarcastic? This whole paragraph on celebrity is overly generalized. I dare you to get famous and not let it go to your head.

You don’t want to be old. You want to be older. No one wants to be old. Old people don’t want to be old. It sucks. If you’re unfortunate enough to live the long and prosperous life, you regress to a point where you’re no different than a baby. It’s depressing and frustrating being old. The other thing you dismiss is that “youth” is extended as the life expectancy grows. 30 is the new 20, 40 is the new 30… You will be young for a long time. The human body is capable of outstanding feats.