By Mark Harvey

A few short weeks ago, I did a column on gerascophobia: an abnormal and persistent fear of growing old. (Yeah, I had to look it up, too.)

Since then, a number of us have been having some occasionally philosophical but mostly realistic conversations, more or less on that topic, so I decided to sum up my view of it all:

Maybe Chicken Little was right.

I listen to a lot of folks who are in a lot of different circumstances throughout most of Western Washington on a daily basis. Most of them are “older” (older than what? — older than yesterday, I guess), and here’s what I’m hearing over and over: fear.

If you stop and think about it, “change” isn’t something that most of us embrace with giddy enthusiasm. No, most of us would like things to pretty much stay the way they pretty much are, right now. There are, of course, exceptions, like I-just-had-surgery-four-hours-ago or I’m-going-to-have-surgery-four-hours-from-now or my-daughter-is-moving-back-in-with-me-until-she-can-get-her-last-tattoo-paid-off or … well, you get it. But most of us are pretty enamored with the status quo.

This isn’t exactly news. The old cliché about “the devil you know” has been around since Paul Revere rode somewhere to warn somebody of something, depending on what version of historical improvisation one subscribes to. So, what’s the deal?

Most of us have been around long enough to know that “change” is constant and inevitable. So, what’s so scary about it? Well, I certainly don’t pretend to know, nor do I pretend to be scholarly enough or philosophical enough to figure it all out; but near as I can tell, here’s what I think we all like so much about today: “I’m not dead.”

For the few of us who actually stop and think about it long enough, not being dead is a pretty attractive thing, generally speaking. Granted, things may not be great, and maybe we’re worrying about how to pay for this-or-that, or maybe we’re getting slammed in the face by the realization that we just can’t do things we used to be able to do. Still, we aren’t dead today, so today can look pretty good.

In my decidedly unscholarly and non-philosophical view, most of us just want to be able to handle “life” — to be able to do what we need to do with a minimum of pain, hassle and drama. To be reasonably safe, reasonably comfortable, eat, pay the bills, take care of ourselves in our own ways — and maybe, if we’re really lucky, to love and be loved. Pretty much everything else is just “stuff.”

And if you’re “older” or not feeling so great, or all the parts don’t work, or you’re on a permanently broken “fixed” income or alone … today is plenty scary enough.

Then some turkey leaves the back door open, and Chicken Little slips in:

“The Social Security Trust Fund can’t be trusted!”

“Medicare is going away!”

“Medicaid is going away!”

“Health care is going up and gas is going up and food is going up and electricity is going up and heat is going up and my income isn’t!”

“America isn’t Great!”

“Put on a blindfold and pin the tail on the next war!”

“They are going to blow us all up!”

“This program that is keeping me going is going away!”

… And climate change and plague and pestilence and pirates and hate and … “them.”

“They” know that fear motivates people; so, since “they” want you to do whatever it is “they” want you to do, “they” want you scared — whoever “they” are. And, unfortunately, they’ve gotten to be pretty good at it.

So we end up being so scared about tomorrow that we lose today, and that’s the scariest thing I can think of.

Sure, a lot of that bad stuff is out there; and, certainly, bad things are happening; and, of course, we need to do the best we can and try to plan and try to improve and try to be smart — and, if we have opinions, by all means, express them! But today is still today, and we’re still able to do what we’re able to do today.

Maybe some of these changes will be for the better. Maybe “bad things” will be replaced by “good things.” Maybe we have to “hit bottom” before we can start back up, and maybe tomorrow will be better than today!

… And maybe the sun will rise in the north.

But … fear? After everything that most of us have lived through … fear? Enough.

Take back “today” from those who would take it from us. Have a little faith. Remember what courage really is. Cope.

Hold your head up, because we’re not dead.

… And put Chicken Little on the menu for tomorrow.

Mark Harvey is the director of information and assistance for the Olympic Area Agency on Aging. He can be reached by email at harvemb@dshs.wa.gov; by phone at 360-532-0520 in Aberdeen, 360-942-2177 in Raymond, or 360-642-3634; or through Facebook at Olympic Area Agency on Aging-Information & Assistance.