F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, has found new life in the movie of the same name. Brad Pitt portrays "Benjamin Button", born as an elderly man and dying as an infant. The common theme throughout the story is ... Act your age.
As a child, Benjamin preferred smoking cigars and studying the encyclopedia more than playing with his rattle, stuffed animals or trains. As an elderly man, Benjamin found more pleasure in playing soldier or creating wonderful designs from colored strips of paper in the nursery than discussing business and politics. Eventually, all memory faded from his mind and he found pleasure only in his daily feedings and the presence of his nanny.
Benjamin Button's chronological age never did match with his physical age ... which created great anxiety for both his family and those in his social circle. He never could seem to act his age.
This story causes me to think of comments frequently heard in reference to aging. "Isn't it amazing that he can still do that at his age?" "She is way too old to be wearing that outfit." "Isn't it wonderful that she went back to college at her age?" "Doesn't he look great for his age!"
Magazines often display headlines telling us that we can take years off our appearance with just a few changes. Celebrities and models are said to be changing the image of over fifty.
What does "age" look like? Who decides how fifty, sixty ... or eighty should act?
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