10 | JANUARY 9 • 2020
Views
but they don’
t bother me.
The truth is I’
m starting to
find them relevant and even
oddly interesting. I’
m even
starting to develop a bit of
camaraderie toward those
graying, happy AARP folks
in the photos. They’
re no
longer abstract strangers to
me, and they’
re far more
relatable than the silly young
celebrities I see on TV or on
the Grammy’
s. Those AARP
folks are becoming my new
peeps.
We want to believe that
wisdom comes with age, but
I know too many older peo-
ple who disprove that theory.
I’
m no exception to that
although I am starting to
accept who I’
m not and what
I no longer wish to try. It’
s
my “process of elimination”
approach to living. I’
m no
longer doing lots of things
I used to do but no longer
enjoy. The list is quickly
getting longer and involves
everything from snorkeling
to sit-ups to going to Detroit
Lions games. I look forward
to adding many more items
to the list in the future.
I recently heard a few Ted
Talks that turn the notion of
age and wisdom on its head.
There are a number of talks
from brilliant children with
topics ranging from pancre-
atic cancer to nuclear fusion
to advanced programming.
One of them, from a 12-year-
old child prodigy named
Adora Svitzak, is titled
“What Adults Can Learn
From Children” and has
been viewed by 5.5 million
people. These videos remind
us that wisdom comes in all
ages, and there is much that
adults can learn from the big,
bold and creative dreams of
children.
So as much as I want to
make conclusions about
wisdom and aging, the only
thing I know for sure is that
the search never ends, no
matter how old one gets. The
writer Percy Seitland once
wrote, “
A man of 97, unless
he’
s a fool, has no mes-
sage.” I’
m not sure if that’
s
a depressing message about
ignorance or a positive one
about acceptance.
My plan is to make that
assessment for myself on my
97th birthday. Preparing for
that day is the gift I’
m giving
myself on this momentous
birthday.
Mark Jacobs is the AIPAC Michigan
chair for African American Outreach
and co-director of the Coalition for
Black and Jewish Unity.
TURNING 65 continued from page 8
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