The Age Agnostic

Excerpt from Daily Cures, Wisdom from Healthy Aging by Connie Michaelis

We associate the word agnostic with a religious belief, but according to Webster’s broader definition, an agnostic is “a person who believes that nothing is known or can be known…a person with an orientation of doubt; a doubter.” It has negative connotations, but if we are age agnostic, we doubt that age is a predictor of our future, and that is a positive belief! I have recently come into contact with a gentleman that has truly inspired me. He seems to have no concept of age, and he is a perfect example of an age agnostic.

Lou reached out to me because he learned about my work on the Internet (he is very adept with the computer). This man is a healthy, active 90-year-old and appears to be a true age agnostic. In a nutshell, he is looking for part-time work. As we emailed back and forth, it became evident that he had bigger goals, and the first was additional income. But the expression of his talents amazed me. I will quote him, “I want a more whole and fulfilling life. One piece of this is to find meaningful part-time work. Ideally, it would be work with a small business or community service organization where I could use some of my primary skills. These include good organizing and planning and development skills for programs or events, public relations skills, and communication abilities. I am curious and like researching the community, the Internet, or written documents to obtain information or resources to solve a problem. I like variety in my work and am good at multi-tasking. Working with other people is important, and I would like to develop new friendships.”

I kept thinking, surely this man is not 90! This is the résumé of an up-and-coming millennial. He certainly does not see his age as a limitation of his ability to be productive; age is not a restriction. We live in a world that labels 90 years old as incapable of productivity. I want to be an age agnostic like Lou.