A phenomenon that has swept my part of the world over the past couple of years is old men out and about on the streets and in shops, wearing shorts - or what Americans call "short pants" - ie. short trousers.
This used to be very rare, except at the height of summer and on holiday - but nowadays, it's clear that old men have - in droves! - set aside their long trousers, and taken to wearing shorts all the time and in all seasons.
This weirdly-misguided and counter-productive assertion of continuing youthfulness; fits with the theme of a thought-provoking post from Francis Berger where he discusses "growing old" with an emphasis on what kind of growing this ought to entail:
"Growing old should refer to the spiritual—that we should use old age to focus on changing, developing, and expanding our spirit; on reflecting on our mortal lives and our memories; on learning lessons yet unlearned; on tying up loose ends and neglected frays from our mortal relationships; on preparing and building up our “self”, our true “self”, for resurrected life."
While the sight of superannuated codgers in cut-off trews seems like a trivial inconvenience, merely an eyesore; I have nonetheless come to regard this as symptomatic of a deep and increasing the spiritual resistance to growing old; which is one of the besetting sins of modern Western civilization.
The reason is obvious enough; that, without a confident expectation of continued personal existence beyond death - a post-mortal life that is affected by present life; then there really is no benefit but many disadvantages in getting-old, and no viable coherent prospect of growing-old.
The life of the modern middle-aged and elderly person (including, so far as I can tell, nearly all self-identified Christians) is then inevitably some kind of combination of an always-losing battle to remain (or seem) youthful; and a progressively-increasing terror of physical deterioration, suffering, dying, and then annihilation.
9 comments:
I'm one of the old men in shorts.Why do you think shorts are worn to look young? I love fresh air and sun on my skin. So now that social norms are less restrictive I wear shorts more often.
The trouble with you, Spode, is that just because you have succeeded in inducing a handful of half-wits to disfigure the London scene by going about in black shorts, you think you're someone. You hear them shouting "Heil, Spode!" and you imagine it is the Voice of the People. That is where you make your bloomer. What the Voice of the People is saying is: "Look at that frightful ass Spode swanking about in footer bags! Did you ever in your puff see such a perfect perisher?”
I don't think I've ever seen my father's knees.
@wt - The fact you need to ask, evidences a worrying lack of repentance.
@WmJas - That's one of my favourite passages from the Jeeves books. Always good for a guffaw.
What about when exercising? I do aspire to comport myself as a proper Englishman, but had the misfortune of growing up in the colonies amongst descendants of convicts in 110-degree heat absent air conditioning (shirt, shoes, nor pants are by any means required in this social milieu, even in the finest upscale establishments). Would a proper gentleman press through circuit training in a three piece suit?
Society has inflicted enough annoyance on me; it can deal with the sight of my bare withered legs, when I reach my golden years!
@Nathan - I should not need to say this, but an elderly gentleman would not engage in circuit training.
Can you imagine CS Lewis or JRR Tolkien doing something like that!
@M - It is not harm to society, but to your soul, that is the concern here...
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