Today\u2019s culture is so obsessed with looking and acting young it\u2019s difficult to believe our founding fathers powdered their wigs gray in order to appear older and wiser. That\u2019s right \u2014 being old was in.<\/p>\n
No more! From hair dyes to Botox to Viagra to wrinkle creams to a plethora of surgical procedures, the race is on to be beautiful and remain forever young.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re bombarded daily with images via magazines, billboards, television and the Internet. It\u2019s all about the look and the image, not about the experience and wisdom behind the eyes. Virtually every public figure from politicians to actors to TV talking heads has had \u201cwork\u201d done to their face or body.<\/p>\n
This mirrors our superficial culture, in which anything important can be defined by 140 characters or less.<\/p>\n
There are many reasons America is so obsessed with youth, but perhaps nothing has done more to further the cause than the technological revolution. Let\u2019s face it: the old are by and large slower and not as connected. How many people older than 60 do you know who use Twitter, Facebook or a cutting edge smartphone?<\/p>\n
But is this a bad thing?<\/p>\n
As the world continues to speed up, the wisdom of the ages can be Googled by anyone. The analogue world has been replaced by the digital age. Who needs to ask an old guy for advice when you can become a superficial expert on any topic after 30 minutes on the computer?<\/p>\n
Few people have time to slow down and become a true expert at anything anymore. Why, that could take (gasp!) days, weeks or even months!<\/p>\n
This constant access to information leaves the impression that a tidbit of knowledge, or a sound bite, is enough to be relevant. It suggests that a quick 10-minute read or video is equivalent to wisdom gained from years of hard-earned experience.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a mindset that it\u2019s better to multi-task three things at once rather than take the time to do a single project perfectly. The ever-shortening attention span is a direct result of the ever-present smartphone, a 50- channel TV culture, video games that provide escape on demand and the 24-7 media cycle that provides never-ending information.<\/p>\n
Throughout the advance in technology the quest to remain young has accelerated at warp speed. Why is this the case, when before, gray hair and wrinkles coincided with patience, self-awareness and wisdom? As Hannibal Lecter told Clarice in \u2018Silence of the Lambs\u2019, \u201cWe begin by coveting what we see every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ads and social media portray youth as sexy, attractive, cool and oh-so-connected. Look at any magazine, movie, video game or TV show and it\u2019s easy to see. In 2011 alone, Americans spent $10.4 billion on cosmetic surgery. Annually, over $1.2 billion is spent on liposuction, $800 million on hair transplants and $11 billion on vitamins and supplements.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s now no greater compliment we can pay another than to say, \u201cWow! You look so much younger!\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no doubt that being young is fast, fun and exciting. But there\u2019s a time and a season for all things. Trying to hang onto the fast lane too long deprives us of the introspection, self-understanding and deep thoughts that usually accompany the process of growing older.<\/p>\n
Just because we can cling to youth a bit longer while life flies by at breakneck speed doesn\u2019t mean that\u2019s the best way to live. Frank Sinatra (remember him?) said it best in his introspective song \u201cIt Was A Very Good Year,\u201d which traces life from teens to 20s to 30s and beyond: \u201cBut now the days grow short. I\u2019m in the autumn of the year. And now I think of my life as vintage wine, from fine old kegs, from the brim to the dregs. And it poured sweet and clear. It was a very good year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Dale Archer is a board certified psychiatrist who founded the Institute for Neuropsychiatry in Southwest Louisiana. He\u2019s a frequent guest on Fox News, CNN Headline News and other national TV programs and the author of the New York Times\u2019 bestselling book Better than Normal. Visit him at DrDaleArcher.com.<\/em><\/p>\n Today\u2019s culture is so obsessed with looking and acting young it\u2019s difficult to believe our founding fathers powdered their wigs gray in order to appear older and wiser. That\u2019s right \u2014 being old was in. No more! From hair dyes to Botox to Viagra to wrinkle creams to a plethora of surgical procedures, the race [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":266,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[35,34],"yoast_head":"\n