 |
| Dr. Luke Timothy Johnson |
For a guy who spends his life in an ivory tower, he was thoughtful, respectful of his audience, self deprecating, and quite funny. I loved every minute of it.
In the second half he talked a bit about suffering and aging. Along with his big brain, Professor Johnson has this going for him: He's 71 years old with some health issues and his wife is 81 years old with serious health issues. He is her caregiver.
Here are a couple of quotes on suffering:
Suffering is not evil - unless we inflict it on others.
Pain can be transforming.
Suffering "is." (Meaning suffering happens to all of us.)
The professor's words on aging were profound to me, partly because he's currently in the midst of it, as I am. How is it to age in a society that denies death? On the other hand, throughout history, it has been a blessing to reach old age - because so many die young.
When I'm aging:
- Choices matter more. If I mess up my finances when I'm 30 I have time to fix them. Not so at 75.
- We lack predictability. Things happen to us in an instant.
- How do we truly age in a culture in which aging is denied?
- Aging is acceptable if you don't appear to be aging. Showing fragility is an affront to society.
- We all age differently. Wildly differently. An Appalachian woman with a poor diet and no medical care ages much differently than a wealthy woman on the east coast.
- How do we endure with patience until the end?
- Are worth and sanctity restricted to independence?
- What is the meaning of the hope of resurrection?
And here's what he told us, in this segment, about the Bible and most other ancient writings. They say almost nothing about aging.
***
