ANTH 316 Essay Instructions

Gender and Age Assignment

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Institution

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 Gender and Age Assignment

To answer the critical questions presented in this assignment, Karl Pillemer, Professor

of Gerontology in Medicine and the Hazel E. Reed Human Ecology Professor at

Cornell-Ithaca has presented elaborate information and scope of knowledge through

the Legacy Project (Lachs & Pillemer, 2004). the project entails a survey that

involves more than 1,200 of the oldest Americans in order to seek their advice for

living better, happier lives. Pillemer looked into the scholarly literature and

discovered that while there have been generic studies of "elder wisdom," older

individuals have not been invited to provide specific suggestions for living based on

their extensive experience (Brody, 2013). Major themes from his interviews surfaced,

which Pillemer condensed into a collection of life lessons on topics like love and

marriage, parenting, job and career, aging well, preventing regrets, dealing with loss,

and recommendations for happiness. In this case, an interview was held with a 70

year old African American man.

What kind of advice might you give to others about getting and staying married?

It is important to start the issue of getting and staying married with a quote from the

conversation. The person interviewed claimed that “I was engaged until recently, but

around three months before the wedding, I discovered that despite how much I loved

my wife, I had very significant reservations about spending the rest of my life with

them.” based on the 70-year-interview old's who has been married for 45 years. Marry

a person who is similar to you, the elders advise. Also, this saying implies that while

opposites are attracted, their marriages are short-lived (Brody, 2013). Finding

someone with similar background, interests, and values is crucial. Despite this, they

make their position regarding values quite apparent. The 70-year-old continued by
saying that if you're a big spender, he too must be a big spender. He said, "We truly

don't quarrel," when since we had comparable basic values. Therefore, some little

variances in things like unique interests can improve a marriage. Despite this, the

elder only wanted you me to be aware that marriage to someone who is quite different

from me was probably going to be more difficult. According to Pillemer, Marriages

that are more compatible on a general level succeed (Brody, 2013).

In fact, those in their 70s, 80s, and beyond were happier than those who were

younger.

Such is accomplished by acknowledging that it is critical to let some things go in

order to discern what is important and what is genuinely unimportant. It is clear from

this interview that people can coexist peacefully for at least 50 years while also

thriving together. He believed that a marriage should last a lifetime. They therefore

had dry seasons, barren periods, and challenging times. Ultimately, they endured and

still happy.

Do you have any advice about finding fulfilling work and how to succeed in a

career?

Having asked the interviewee about the advice concerning finding a fulfilling work

and ways to succeed in a career. He was quick to respond with the issue of earning. In

his words he said “I had a solid income, but I'm beginning to grow weary of the grind.

I only have a retired wife and no children.” When it comes to time against money,

older people most definitely have a "take a risk" mindset, according to Pillemer's The

End of Life (Sturdivant, 2013). They don't want you to take any actions that could

put them out of business, but if there is a way to live comfortably and have more time

to genuinely live life, they advise trying to make that happen. Being financially
comfortable and having more time can coexist, but they strongly advise against

staying any longer than is absolutely necessary in a job we despise.

The wise person counseled me to choose job because of its inherent rewards. He says

that in addition to choose a career because of loving it, one should pick it because of

its sense of purpose not primarily for the financial benefits. He wanted everyone to be

content rather than a starving worker. He claimed that youth tend to cringe at the

kinds of things that make people excited. His reasoning, which is founded on the idea

that life is brief, is that one will eventually think it wasn't worth it.

What do you think you know now about living a happy and successful life that

you didn’t know when you were 20?

The elder is so passionate about the youths especially those at 20 years of age. He has

so much about living a happy and having a successful life. The 70-year-old elderly

man argues that despite physical obstacles, hardships in life, and traumatic

experiences, humans have the power to choose happiness every day. He claims that

since everyone over the age of 70 has encountered issues of this nature, everyone

eventually needs to make informed decision in their twenties. In terms of research in

general, there is undeniable mounting proof that joyful feelings actually promote

health (Sturdivant, 2013). Laughter and happiness, he continues, are excellent

suggestions for excellent health and long life. Indeed, people can compensate for their

health issues and continue to enjoy life.

The elderly person I spoke with had two opinions about being unmarried as a young

person and throughout life. First, he advises that you never give up looking for the

ideal companion. Unexpectedly many people discovered their "true love" later in life,

either by reuniting with an old buddy from high school or by participating in

activities. He also advise those who are having trouble finding a spouse to make sure
they are still socially active in other ways, such as through volunteering or

participating in social activities (Sturdivant, 2013). However, it is well acknowledged

that women looking for men do not benefit from the gender ratio in older age.

According to Pillemer, both young people and older people gain from interactions

between them. Such is accomplished by exchanging experiences. Older people sense

the need for generativity, which is the desire to support younger generations, and

younger people require direction to manage their life and change their views

regarding aging and older people. According to Pillemer, young people must be

prepared for the future because, in some respects, information sharing and cross-

cultural communication are interrelated. It is unlikely to be beneficial to simply mix

elderly and younger people without first preparing the latter. Younger individuals

should reconsider any misconceptions they might hold and consider the importance of

older people in their lives.

Have you learned any lessons about how to stay healthy?

From the assessments of an old people between the year of 60 and above, it is evident

that they have developed a way of staying healthy. There are many lessons from the

70 year old man. According to the interview, people do gain a sense of direction and

calm at the age of 70 and beyond.From the interview I gathered life advice that proves

to be really helpful for people of all ages. The statement, "I'm really glad, plus I can

receive easy nice sunlight right there at the balcony," supports the idea of finding

happiness. “I've learnt that life passes by in a second”, the respondent was more

delighted to share the thought. He didn't say this to make me feel down but to

encourage me to think carefully about how I spend my time and make wiser

decisions. Also, this understanding of the value of time serves as the foundation for

many other lessons in life.

The elderly person considers how to prevent diminishing returns on happiness and

quality of life so that living longer is beneficial. According to Pillemer, medicine can

lengthen life (Brody, 2013). The perspective of the elderly on health was fascinating.

He advises me to quit stating things like, "Oh, I don't care if I drop dead a year or two

early - I like to not exercise, etc." to excuse our unhealthy habits. He claims that

instead of simply "dropping dead" after a lifetime of unhealthy behaviors, you will

actually be condemning yourself to years, if not decades, of chronic sickness. He

advise concentrating on my youth and what I can accomplish. Beyond that, our

society is facing a challenge because we have often added years to life but not life to

years. Refocusing on quality of life in old age is necessary.

From the assessment of the interview lessons, elderly people have a lot to offer. At the

end of your life, you will regret all the time you lost in this pointless ruminating.

According to Pillemer, the elderly would actually advise young people to live in the

moment and not worry so much is something I never would have thought about

(Brody, 2013). It is believed elderly people have good reasons to be concerned about

youths. For example, these elderly person saw total devastation during the Great

Depression, frequently lived in extreme poverty as a child, and had occupations that

are worse than our terrible employment, yet our main regret is worrying excessively

about the future (Brody, 2013).

 References

Brody, J. (2013, September 9). Advice from life’s graying edge on finishing with

no regrets (Published 2012). The New York Times - Breaking News, US

News, World News and Videos.

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/10/health/elderly-experts-share-life-

advice-in-cornell-project.html

Lachs, M. S., & Pillemer, K. (2004). Elder abuse. The Lancet, 364(9441), 1263-

1272. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(04)17144-4

Sturdivant, L. (2013). 30 lessons for living: Tried and true advice from the wisest

Americans, by K. Pillemer. Journal of Intergenerational Relationships,

11(4), 459-463. https://doi.org/10.1080/15350770.2013.838131

Sturdivant, L. (2013). 30 lessons for living: Tried and true advice from the wisest

Americans, by K. Pillemer. Journal of Intergenerational Relationships,

11(4), 459-463. https://doi.org/10.1080/15350770.2013.838131