An Exam on Aging
photo by arantxa villa
An Exam on Aging
by third-year claire d’agostino
I. CHILDHOOD - MULTIPLE CHOICE
What is your greatest fear? Please select one of the following options:
A) Arachnophobia: the fear of spiders
B) Social phobia: fear of social interactions
C) Claustrophobia: the fear of enclosed spaces
D) Acrophobia: the fear of heights
although these are some of the most common fears, there is one not represented on this list; perhaps the most common fear is not one of a physical object or interaction, but rather gerascophobia, the fear of growing up.
this fear is ingrained in us from an early age. it’s perhaps most closely associated with the idea that we are afraid of death, but this fear runs deeper than that.
Eat like that and enjoy it while you’re young, you’ll have to diet when you’re my age.
I remember when I used to look like that.
however, this pressure from adult figures who want us to remain frozen in time is not the only contributor to this fear. it’s in every narrative tale of a child leaving their home: think Peter Pan, Toy Story, and The Polar Express. what they have in common is they ingrain in us the idea that growing up is a tragedy; essentially, your heart dies.
of course, youth is fleeting; however, we should not hold on to it so tightly that we squeeze any joy out of it.
II. ADOLESCENCE: TRUE OR FALSE
after being so eager to grow up, we’ve finally made it to college! perhaps, getting a degree that we did not even want only because it is the path that our parents laid out for us. or maybe the degree that would be the easiest to get in four years. or maybe even the degree that would make it the easiest to get a job.
True or false. College is meant to be the best four years of your life.
from what everyone says, true! but in reality, the promise of freedom and independence that we longed for in our youth does not live up to the expectation of a college experience in our society. maybe you don’t go out every weekend or you don’t join all of the clubs you wanted or find the lifelong friends you dreamed of?
the sense of disenchantment that we face causes us to fear for the rest of our lives. if this is supposed to be the best time and it is not, how bad will the rest of our lives be?
one thing college does teach us is growth. although we likely will not have a full-fledged vision of ourselves the second we graduate, it gives us the opportunity to develop our identity and get to know ourselves better. the lesson learned in this section will help you on the following part of the test.
life does not end once you graduate college.
III. ADULTHOOD: FILL IN THE BLANK
The following section is a f fill-in-the-blank question. Please insert the correct word(s) into the blank.
so now here we are, post-graduation. our twenties are supposed to be full of ______ and nights doing ______.
but what if the expectation is once again, not fulfilled? what if, even after these fun nights, we get stuck in a 9-5 job that we lack any passion for? or get married to someone who we do not really, really love? or have children just because it is what is expected of us, rather than what we want?
this is the fear of getting old. it’is the fear of ruining our short lives because we made the wrong choices.
after completion of this exam, you may notice the thread that runs through it—there is no correct answer to any question. the only way that we can truly ruin our lives is to fear the future. make the choices that are good for you at the moment; don’t agonize over what could have been.
Congrats, you passed!