An extensive study published in the New England Journal of Medicine notes that a person living in the USA experiences his/her/their greatest productivity "between the ages of 60-70... with the second most productive stage of our humanity being those between 70 to 80 years of age." The study added that the third most productive stage is from 50 to 60 years of age. (SOURCE: N.Engl.J .Med. 70,389 (2018) Dare I say that, at least in my case, this rings true?
I know that the United States is riddled with addiction, alienation, and anxiety. We
are a nation almost equally divided along what appear to be hard ideological political lines; the recent national election offers a clear picture with Ms. Harris securing 48.3% of the popular vote while Mr. Trump garnered 49.8% - a mere 1.5% difference. Claims of a mandate pale when viewed through the lens of hard fact but still authenticate our divisions. Add into our sociological stew the ever morphing but always dehumanizing experiences with racism, sexism, gender wars, and class struggle and the locus of our productivity becomes a murky, complex and challenging reality. And yet despite all of this, it would seem that as we ripen into what was once euphemistically called our "golden years," most experience greater creativity in our public lives and perhaps more inward contentment, too. Journalist Barbara Gonzalez-Ventura summarized the science behind the research in an article noting that:
The director of the George Washington University College of Medicine argues that the brain of an elderly person is much more plastic than is commonly believed. At this age, the interaction of the right and left hemispheres of the brain becomes harmonious, which expands our creative possibilities. That is why among people over 60 you can find many personalities who have just started their creative activities. Of course, the brain is no longer as fast as it was in youth. However, it wins in flexibility. That is why, with age, we are more likely to make the right decisions and are less exposed to negative emotions. The peak of human intellectual activity occurs at about 70 years old, when the brain begins to work at full strength. Over time, the amount of myelin, a substance that facilitates the rapid passage of signals between neurons in the brain, increases. Due to this, intellectual abilities are increased by 300 percent compared to the average. (https://philstarlife.com/self/610935-60-80-old-age?page=3)
There's no reason to believe that my experience is normative; that is to say, I am a white, male, metro-sexual intellectual with too much formal education. I tend toward spiritual contemplation, the arts, and solitude. I read voraciously and am highly selective about the cable television I consume and music I enjoy. I regularly practice or perform music at least three nights a week, am happily married with children and grandchildren, and share life with an old, special needs dog. I am too sedentary but still modestly healthy. We live in a small city, in a modest home with property abutting an expansive wetlands.
In my early 60's, after engaging in 30+ years of satisfying Christian ministry as well as various musical ensembles, I sensed a call away from doing ministry during a sabbatical. By the time I was 66, I'd fully retired and cherished my new, stress free existence. In retirement, I was free to connect more deeply with my friends at L'Arche Ottawa, play music throughout the region with an old high school buddy, and be a doting grandpa. The pandemic brought our public music-making to a close. Family health issues made it more and more complicated to spend extended time away in Canada, And my online spiritual direction practice began to thrive (in a very modest manner.)
As covid came to a close, I was invited to re-enter parish ministry for five months as a "bridge" pastor and, surprisingly, I loved it. This led to additional training and now I am serving a congregation as their 3/4 time interim pastor. This, too, has been joy upon joy leading me to personally affirm what the New England Journal of Medicine reported: my 60's and now 70's have been chock full of creativity, productivity, and a renewed commitment to ministry. More and more musical possibilities are coming to life these days as well.
Science suggests that "after 60 years, a person can use both hemispheres (of the brain) at the same time... allowing us to solve much more complex problems."
Features of the brain of an elderly person1. The neurons of the brain do not die off, as everyone around them says. Connections between them simply disappear if a person does not engage in mental work.
2. Absent-mindedness and forgetfulness appear due to an overabundance of information. Therefore, you do not need to focus your whole life on unnecessary trifles.
3. Beginning at the age of 60, a person, when making decisions, uses not one hemisphere like young people, but both hemispheres at the same time.
4. Conclusion: For a person who leads a healthy lifestyle, moves, has feasible physical activity and has full mental activity, intellectual abilities DO NOT decrease with age, but only GROW, reaching a peak by the age of 80 to 90 years.
(credit: Gonzalez-Ventura, ibid)
My all-time favorite Psalm evokes metaphysically and inwardly what the realm of research proves empirically:
LORD, my heart is not haughty nor are my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself with matters too great or with things too profound for me. Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul and behave like a weaned child with her head upon her mother's breast.
or me. Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul and behave like a weaned child with her head upon her mother's breast.
My hunch is that rather than carp about what might happen as the new régime comes into power, we old-timers reclaim the mandate of the "elders" and use the creativity, wisdom, experience, and bold compassion we've amassed to bring a measure of outward healing to the brokenness while mentoring younger good hearts in the way of contemplation . Check out the work of Carrie Newcomer and Parker Palmer for living examples of joy in the midst of challenge.
