The Discreet Charm of the Old Age

Abstract

The article is intended to present a mistaken perception of older people in modern Western culture. Excessive adherence to the new patterns and disregard for the traditions lead to the wrong perception of the time of senility. Modern philosophical literature about the old age does not contain any critical approaches to this distortion, on the contrary – it seems to have this distortion multiplicated. However the earthy, clear-hearted approach to the old age can be found in the works of the ancient philosophers, in particular by Cicero and Schopenhauer. Both of them seem to rationally evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the old age. Therefore in this article they are the guides in search for the proper balance between the society and the elder persons as well as the attitude of the elderly persons to themselves. In the conclusion the article states that senility can be not a worse period than the previous ones, if follows a wisely lived life and when there’s no unreasonable demand of preserving the attributes of youth in it.