During my time in this class, I have learned and experienced new subjects that have never been taught to me before. Things I have learned in this class, especially about the human life cycle stages, will greatly help me prepare for aging and the final stages of human life. This course helped me understand the adulthood phase of the human life cycle and human life. Aging and the last stages of the human life cycle affect individuals differently depending on their beliefs and preparation. The involvement of physical changes, such as wrinkles and a weakened body, can deter a person’s life if they are not prepared for it. For example, most of the old aged people I met in my life have struggled with performing difficult tasks such as going to work, cleaning, and doing house chores. To some extent, some of them cannot walk for long distances or even walk at all. One example of how aging can affect a person’s life is how I watched my grandmother struggle with her body in old age, disease after disease, until her demise. Her life example has taught me very many things about life. Adulthood and aging stages cannot be separated from the perpetuity in which one has lived their previous stages or the decisions they made about their life. This is because the previous stages and the way of life we live as individuals highly affect the later stages of the life cycle, determining the kind of life we are to live in old age and the final stages of life.
The human life cycle stages conclude with the late adulthood stage, in which individuals in this stage-65 and older begin to experience transitions related to their physical, cognitive, and psychosocial well-being. Due to the uncertainty of this stage and disparities involved in people transitioning experiences in this stage, there are differences in how people live and define late adulthood, which involves Aging and death. Aging and death are integral parts of the final stages of the human life cycle. Once in a lifetime, we have thought about aging and death, whether young or adults. Adults are more prone to thinking about aging and death more often compared to the young. Coincidentally, self-conceptions and teachings in society predetermine how we handle aging and cope with the final stages of human life experiences. Due to the life and lifestyle changes introduced by today’s society, many people are living healthy lifestyles, leading to better lives in old age. “Already the average healthy man who is 65 today- an age now reached by the great majority of the U.S. population- can expect to live until 81” (Sheehy 535). The quantity and quality of life adults live today have never been experienced in human history. Unlike in the past, when there were fewer old people, today, older people are not dying as quickly. The amount of healthcare and technological advances in the 21st Century seems to have boosted the aging phase of human life, leaving individuals enough time to prepare for the later stage of life, which is death. The normal life cycle as we know it has been altered by our ways of living, forming a new adulthood phase of the human life cycle. “True adulthood doesn’t begin until 30…middle age has already been pushed far into the fifties- it is acknowledged at all today…fifty is now what forty used to be” ( Sheehy 535). Although people leave their childhood early, they spend more time preparing for their deaths in adulthood. This, therefore, calls for individuals to reconsider how they plan on living their lives for the events of the final phases of the human life cycle since when they mess up at this stage, there could be no more time for redemption.
Most people struggle with accepting aging and the final stage of human life, as they cannot admit their accomplishments and failures. This forces them to delay their adulthood as much as possible, so they may have little time to deal with these issues. According to Rinpoche, death should not be feared; it should be something people undergo with their loved ones to help them transition. It is, however, sad to see how current society treats old age and the dying. “The fate of the gods reminds me of how the elderly, the sick, and the dying are treated today. Our society is obsessed with the youth, sex, and power and we shun old age and decay.” (Rinpoche 573). The old people are sent to nursing homes far from their families, leaving them to die alone with strangers around them. The thought of this is one of the reasons why people prefer to extend their adult life so that they may stay longer with their people before being discarded in the nursing homes once their working life is over. People are spending most of their ‘useful’ adulthood life preparing for their end of life. “Death is a mirror through which meaning of life is reflected.” (Rinpoche, 574). Most Buddhists like Rinpoche believe in a cycle of life where there is life, death, and reincarnation, which is why they do not fear death like most of us. Once you know you are coming back, it is impossible to fear the transition trail, which is death. Therefore, we all spend our lifetime preparing for the transition; living a better life leads to a smooth transition. This requires a self-realization/acquisition that frees people from worldly desires and attachments, liberating them from external pressures and cultures holding them back. This is the whole process through which hospice care is built, giving people comfort and guidance at the end of their lives. An example of this is in the autography of a Tibetan Monk, whereby Palden Gyatso was ready to die to protect his dignity and love for his religion. “I would have welcomed a quick death. I told the guards to kill me.” (Gyatso 549). This level of courage makes Palden Gyatso an exemplar of self-actualization in Maslow’s terms. His actions exemplify that aging and death are just a matter of perception.
Aging and the final stages of human life mark the time for reflection on the life one made for themselves and the social connections one created in the former phases of the life cycle. Although the quality of life during old age and later stages of life are determinants of other factors such as genetics, and lifestyle choices, having the right people and social foundation can determine how one enjoys the final stages of life. It is through our lives as individuals that aging and death are predetermined, and we must make the best of it.
Work Cited
Gyatso, Palden. The Autobiography of a Tibetan Monk. Grove Press, 1987.
Rinpoche, Sogyal. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. Rider, 1992.
Sheehy, Gail. New Passages: Mapping Your Life Across Time- Theory of the Second Adulthood. Random House, 1995.
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