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by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.
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Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

Affiliations Are Overrated -- It's Who You Are That Matters

Tuesday October 1, 2002

Identity politics is big these days. For lots of reasons, most of us take comfort, pride, support and other satisfactions from being one thing or another. Yet, for the most part, associations have little to do with personal achievements. Among the most basic of such associations that shape our identities are gender, race, religion and political party. There is no end to the possibilities. For those with weak egos or shaky self-esteem, this kind of thing can provide a sense of pride and self-worth, but from a self-management perspective, it's best not to get carried away with group identity or to take any of it too seriously. What's more, you don't have to be an historian to know that such thinking has led to all manner of human disasters over the ages and continues today (think gangs as just one obvious example).

Some affiliations are harmless or silly. Some are a combination of the two, such as those relating to aging. Have you noticed all the attention given to the rising influence of older generations? AARP is big business!

Some social commentators say we are witnessing an unprecedented "aging of society," at least in the U.S. and other developed western countries. Thanks to an increase in the number of folks living more or less wellness lifestyles (though still a small minority), as well as improvements in public health, there have been significant longevity advances in the last century. At present, average life expectancy for men is 73 years; for women, the number is 79 years. One area that gets a lot of attention in the aging discussions is economics. Older populations (74 million people or 27 percent of the population are over age 50 in the US) are a significant market that, according to the AARP, represents a combined annual personal income exceeding $2 trillion -- at least before the current stock market meltdown. The "mature" among us comprise about 70 percent of the total net worth of U.S. households -- nearly $9 trillion. Perhaps most tellingly, this segment of the nation owns 50 percent of the credit cards in the U.S. and controls over 70 percent of the financial assets in America!

What of it? How does this affect YOU? It's interesting, perhaps, and surely has great implications to those who sell one thing or another in terms of how they direct their pitches, but assuming you are not trying to sell things to aging baby boomers and others much older, what does this aging trend mean to you?

Nothing. All that matters is what you do to advance your own health and well-being. It's interesting, for example, that (according to U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data) 16 million 50-plus adults exercise at least three times per week, that the number of 55-plus health club members jumped 119 percent while the number of 65-plus members jumped 669 percent. However, none of it makes any difference to your fitness level unless you personally get out and exercise vigorously. Likewise, it is ever-so fascinating to learn that seniors are a gold mine for drug companies, given that they consume over $525 billion annually in direct healthcare spending and consume 74 percent of all prescription drugs, but this does not mean you ought to be part of this drugged out sub-culture just because you're over 50! On the contrary, you ought to do everything you can in a self-managing lifestyle sense to minimize your need for these expensive medications.

In short, accept the fact that you are part of many different groups but focus on your chosen individuality and be the best person you can be, whatever your sex, race, nationality, religion or age cohort. As for being a "mature" (50 plus) American or citizen of wherever, if you are in this category, well, congratulations. Now keep doing what enabled you to last so long in the first place, namely practicing and adding new features to your wellness lifestyle.

Be well. Remember, young or old and regardless of your categories, look on the bright side of life.

Domain: physical
Subdomain: appearance and aging

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