I’ve always been afraid of getting old. The thought of not being at a stage where anything and everything is possible scares me. The very prospect of having to look a younger generation (which may or may not be better looking or more intelligent or more successful) gives me the creeps.

Then, there’s the physical aspect. Skin won’t be as supple. Sight will be poor, even in broad day light. Wrinkles will make their fancy appearance. Walking will be demoted to hobbling. Hearing will be of a more glorious past. Your wonderful memory becomes your enemy than your ally.

(The memory part scares me most, because it would be such a shame to lose my brilliantly fantastic memory)

All these are part of the reason why I was so enthralled with the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, nothing to do with Brad Pitt of course though he did play a part in a way

The thought of aging backwards is very thought provoking.

It also serves as a lesson wherein suffering comes first then happiness. Don’t know what I mean? Well, Benjamin Button came to this world as an 80 year old man with cataracts and wrinkles. He spent his early childhood in a wheelchair before moving on to a walking stick. While he wasn’t exactly ousted by the neighbourhood kids, he wasn’t in a situation whereby he can run across the street and play catch with other children.

In all his wizened physicality, he was still an innocent child deep within. Still, these didn’t stop people who doesn’t understand his condition to mistake him for a dirty old man and a 70-year-old virgin (at least!)

His early life wasn’t exactly a bed of roses, much to be blamed on his physical impairments. However life only got easier (and better looking, hehe).

As he grew older, he also grew stronger, gained speed and sharpness of mind. He spent most of his golden years with much ease, thanks to the finesse of a young man. He fell in love, he had a child. If only life could remain status quo at the moment when he was at his physical prime as a young, strong man.

Alas, he could only get younger, while everything around him gets older. If there’s any flaw in this whole system, this is it. Everyone just keeps getting older, while you get reduced to infancy – quite literally.

However my point in this whole matter is that, even though a lot of sacrifice had to be made and although he finally has a proper childhood (albeit as a very, very old man) – aging wasn’t painful for Benjamin Button. He grew from a dashing teenager, to an angsty pre-teen, to an adorable child, to a stumbling toddler to finally: an innocent baby.

In parallel to a person who is growing old the normal way, Benjamin also became more and more dependent on the care of others. It’s just that for him, it’s effortless and without pain. And while slowly being submerged into a world of innocence, he slipped away from this world with no worries, no pain and no thoughts.

As morbid as this may sound, I think that would be a very good way to die. Not many people have the privilege of dying in that pristine condition.

However, back to our reality – I guess we really have to live our life to the fullest, because life is short and with every passing day a part of us gets older. It’s just that we do not realize it. We will only realize it one day 20 years from now, which may be too late for anything.

And on a personal note, I guess that when the time comes for me to give way to a younger, better looking generation, I will do it with grace because I would know by then that I have lived my youth to the best that I can. And till then, I am still part of the “young people club” – so let’s celebrate our youth and worry about this whole aging thing, 20 years from now.