For now, President Biden may be right about his ability to act as the leader of the free world. However, he seems to underestimate the cruelty of aging.
As a psychologist working in a nursing home, my main ambition is to treat aging clients with respect, recognition and trust that we should give to every human being. The key is to not focus on the losses of aging, but to acknowledge the personhood that remains. If a vicar is no longer able to spell the word God, that doesn’t mean he is unable to have profound religious experiences, nor is he unable to feel God’s love and guidance. Positive aging is possible.
Cicero’s the art of growing old
I imagine that Biden would come knocking at my door. He tells me that he sees himself as a competent president, that is harshly judged over his debate performance against Trump and strange gaffes. He might complain that our society has got aging all wrong. He quotes the Roman politician and writer Cicero (106-43 B.C) from his treatise The art of growing old. ‘Not every wine grows sour with age.’ As you age, you should not become a bystander, but choose roles that match your shifting abilities. Cicero gives the role of helmsman as an example. ‘Others climb the masts, run across the deck or scoop out water, while he quietly stands at the helm on the stern and does not do what the young people do.’
Wisdom, authority and good judgement might grow as the years go by. There are social indicators of Biden’s presidency that back up his view. Under his reign we seen a lot of jobs created, growing green investment, better health coverage and less deadly crime. Biden could point out that his presentation at the NATO 75th anniversary was forceful. If he says that his popularity doesn’t match his accomplishments due to negative and inaccurate stereotypes of the old, we cannot prove him wrong. Agism might make it hard to appreciate the firm guidance of a man with such a frail physical appearance. Yes, Mr. President, life is unfair.
At the helm
Biden now asks me if he should stay at the helm for four more years, when it was just a cold that made him botch the first debate with Trump. Good point Mr. President, but are you willing to educate yourself about the changes that occur in an aging brain? Have you heard of the confused and disoriented state of a delirium in which old people suddenly are unable to think or remember clearly, due to mild problems such as a slight fever. The margins in which the older brain can keep functioning optimally are getting smaller due to the accumulation of the physiological changes of living for a long time. Normal aging comes with diminished connectivity of nerve cells, harmful fibres, impaired blood flow regulation and increased permeability of the blood/brain barrier. Mr. President, if a mild cold makes you an unrecognizable and unconvincing debater on such a huge occasion, then your brain no longer has the capacity to keep functioning in circumstances that would not bother a younger president.
Coming to terms with aging
Flunking a debate or being prone to gaffes does not lessen the contribution or personhood of a president, nor should it make the American people any less appreciative of Biden’s service to the country. The ugly truth is that the physiological processes of aging will continue for the four upcoming years. Even the fittest of presidents cannot stop the decline of aging at will, no matter how much responsibility they feel for their country. You can make aging a positive experience, but you cannot prevent all decline.
Don’t wish to be stronger than you are
Cicero was right about the wisdom that is needed for a place at the helm. Older and wiser presidents can be an asset. But, Mr. President, surely you recognize that a journey of four more years is long. Should you not weigh the risks of giving younger generations the opportunity to make their own mistakes against the harm that might be generated due to the vulnerabilities of an aging brain? Cicero might even have the right advice for you. ‘Would I actually like to have the strength of a young man? No, no more than I wanted to be as strong as a bull or an elephant as a young man. You have to use what you’ve got.’ As an old and wise person, you will have to realize that it is futile to wish away the signs of advanced aging.