Aging Matters In A Changing Society: Personal Life Portfolio

AGING MATTERS IN A CHANGING SOCIETY: A PERSONAL LIFE PORTFOLIO ESSAY “It’s paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn’t appeal to anyone”-Andy Rooney. This paradox might be one of the saddest truth in the life of humankind. Many people are scared of aging and death. Most are afraid of losing their wise and reflective memory, clear and sharp eyesight, well-poise body posture, and even their fair, young unwrinkled face. As people age, it is not a surprise that human being started to feel anxious, depressed, and frightened of what their life would turn to be. Adults know how life would be limited into the capabilities and possibilities that an individual can do as they grow old and matured. They are aware of how their physical, emotional, and social development will start to slow down and deteriorate. However, if we did examine, do we need to be anxious nor be bothered by the concept of getting old? Do we need to be helpless about our changing body and society? Well, the answer is no. Although aging is a natural process of human stages of development, it is still not a means for restraining our strength and opportunities as we grow older. If we come to think of it, physical attributes, achievements, and even fame that we treasured right now are all temporary. What matters most about growing is our ability to influence and inspire others on how we live our lives and how we endure the challenges that we encounter in our journey through adulthood. As George Burns mentioned in his quotation, “You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old.” This means that instead of getting scared, the powerful weapon that we can equip ourselves will be our proactive mind and action. We need to think that we can still make something relevant as we grow old and this will serve as a legacy that no one will never forget even after we die. Adulthood is a new stage of opportunity and strength, and as an adult, I will not let my chance to pass without imparting my hopes, influence, and inspiration to others which I know I can begin with a life portfolio at hand. This article aimed to write not only a personal life portfolio as a requirement but a life portfolio of plans and opportunities I can and I will take to make my existence meaningful with a legacy to leave for hope, motivation, and inspiration. Building a life portfolio is about developing a mindset of making choices which put our lives in a strategic plan to steer our objectives and keeping us on the track of making these goals come true. The three aspects of this plan revolved around life-long learning, work, and community service. I do believe that to make a difference, one should know first to admit that he/she is insufficient and still requires a lot of room for improvement. This is where the aspect of life-long learning comes in. If change is the only permanent in this world, then it is most necessary that we, as humans also grab our chance for our self-progress and continuous development in education. I aimed to spend more time and expose myself to professional growth during and even after graduation. I would like to situate myself in a meaningful learning environment wherein I am eager to unlearn, learn, and re...