"When a friend in her late 80s called and said, "I'm ready to leave," I understood she wasn't talking about a place. She had been my graduate advisor, colleague, confidant, and family friend for more than 50 years. Although retired for nearly a decade, she was still regarded as an eminent authority in her field. So why, still healthy, did she say she was ready to die?"
"At 80 years of age, I'm not getting better; I'm getting older. There's little that I do now that's better than how I did it when I was 50. Aging is an exercise in subtraction. Yes, I can still run, write, fish, and sculpt, but I run slower than most people walk, and it takes me much longer to write articles today than it did five years ago."
Purpose can increase both lifespan and quality of life when it endures, yields positive outcomes, and includes unexpected elements. Aging reduces capacities and constricts daily worlds, creating an experience of subtraction rather than improvement. Even accomplished, respected older adults can feel ready to die despite health and reputation. Physical limitations and disease can force activity changes, shrinking opportunities for engagement. Commercial promises to reverse aging are often unsupported by data. Evidence from sociology, psychology, and neurology indicates that cultivating meaningful purpose offers a practical, research-backed way to maintain engagement and slow decline in later life.
Read at Psychology Today
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