I’m sure we’ve all heard of the movie. I mean, come on, it’s Brad Pitt. Arguably one of the most famous people, celebrity or otherwise, on the face of this planet. Therefore, I’m fairly certain that at least a good majority of you know the plot of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”. In the event that you don’t, you sad, sad person (Just kidding. But seriously, what’s up, man?), stay tuned. You’ll find out soon enough.
So why am I bringing this up? Well, 1) it was in one of the Newsweeks I brought home over the weekend and I’m in desperate need of a decent topic and 2) I personally think that its main theme is extremely significant especially now in our current society.
I’m talking, of course, about aging.
It’s a very funny issue in our society because there seems to be two completely polar opposite sides to it: those who want to get older and those who will do whatever it takes not to. And by “whatever it takes”, I mean “whatever it takes”. Whatever. It. takes. But we’ll get into that later.
Anyways, what of this first side? Who would want to get older? From experience, I’d say teenagers and the younger generation. Come on, we’ve all been there right? “God, I can’t wait ‘til I’m older. I’d finally be able to leave home.” or “I want to turn 21 so badly!” (And you know what that implies). Sounds familiar? I should think so. We are, were, and have been teenagers at some point. True, these wishes are mostly reactions to the so called “growing pains” and stresses of this particular stage of life (SATs, anyone?) but can you really blame them? Of course, there’s the whole notion of, “You don’t know what you’re wishing for.” or “Being an adult is everything short of glamorous.” or “Are you out of your mind?” But then again, do teenagers ever truly fathom the responsibilities that come with being an adult? I’d say nine times out of ten, no, they don’t really. Most of what teenagers perceive as “being an adult” is the extremely sugar-coated version. But there’s an uglier side to it. Taxes, work, money, taxes, housing, taxes…the list of headaches goes on. But, hey. Teenagers are teenagers and they won’t be for very long. So I say, let them keep wishing. Because one day that wish will most definitely become a reality. And suddenly they’ll be wishing for the exact opposite.
Which brings me to the flip side of the coin: the people who don’t want to get older. Arguably, this side consists mostly of the older generation but I’ve met some precocious little eight year olds who are adamant that they will always remain their little eight year old self. Anyways, this group has got to be the most fascinating of the two. I mean, who doesn’t want to hear about the crazy new invention someone somewhere in the world came up with that will, get this, reduce your wrinkles? Ok, fine I’m being a tad bit sarcastic but seriously. There are some pretty interesting, albeit controversial, ways to “turn back the clock” as the saying goes. Take human cloning, for example. Here’s the gist of it: people clone themselves so that when their heart fails, or their liver fails, or they lose an eye, or whatever, they are able to take the part from their clone and thus, continue to live on. There was even a major movie based on this called The Island. Futuristic? Yes. Impossible? No. In fact, “the U.S. Department of Defense is developing cutting-edge medical technology that’s regrowing human tissue, in some cases, on the backs of mice”. Freaky? I sure think so. Although I’m not quite sure which part is more alarming: cloning or the fact that there are mice out there with human body parts growing from their own furry little bodies. Needless to say, this particular tactic of anti-aging has undergone a lot of fire due to the moral controversy surrounding the very nature of human cloning. Of course, this is just one example of the extremes people will go to avoid the inevitable. I’m sure there are so many other ones out there.
Which brings me to the flip side of the coin: the people who don’t want to get older. Arguably, this side consists mostly of the older generation but I’ve met some precocious little eight year olds who are adamant that they will always remain their little eight year old self. Anyways, this group has got to be the most fascinating of the two. I mean, who doesn’t want to hear about the crazy new invention someone somewhere in the world came up with that will, get this, reduce your wrinkles? Ok, fine I’m being a tad bit sarcastic but seriously. There are some pretty interesting, albeit controversial, ways to “turn back the clock” as the saying goes. Take human cloning, for example. Here’s the gist of it: people clone themselves so that when their heart fails, or their liver fails, or they lose an eye, or whatever, they are able to take the part from their clone and thus, continue to live on. There was even a major movie based on this called The Island. Futuristic? Yes. Impossible? No. In fact, “the U.S. Department of Defense is developing cutting-edge medical technology that’s regrowing human tissue, in some cases, on the backs of mice”. Freaky? I sure think so. Although I’m not quite sure which part is more alarming: cloning or the fact that there are mice out there with human body parts growing from their own furry little bodies. Needless to say, this particular tactic of anti-aging has undergone a lot of fire due to the moral controversy surrounding the very nature of human cloning. Of course, this is just one example of the extremes people will go to avoid the inevitable. I’m sure there are so many other ones out there.
And then there’s the dear Ben Button who, much to the resentment of others I’m sure, doesn’t have the problem of getting older. Born a tiny and frail old man, he begins his bizarre life in a nursing home. However, it quickly becomes obvious that while his body may be old, his mind is exactly like that of a child. He then proceeds to age but in the opposite direction. Thus, while his childhood friend Daisy gets older, he gets younger which, obviously, causes problems for the two as time goes on. Interesting, right? Definitely.
So where does that leave you? Are you the rebellious teen who so desperately wants the supposed freedom that comes with adult life? Or are you longing to hit the “Pause” button or even the “Rewind” button on the remote control of life? Or are you, like myself, not too bothered by either prospect of aging and are perfectly content living life as it comes not matter what the direction?
No comments:
Post a Comment