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   Aging in Film and Words   

Images of Aging

All of us, if we are lucky, live to reach the stage of life in which we now find ourselves dwelling. However, once we acquire the title “elderly,” or “senior citizen,” or just plain ”older adult,” we may discover ourselves to be at a loss to understand what this phase of our lives can mean. It is hard to talk about aging, yet here we are. We are now done, or nearly so, with the chief duties of parenting and at the end, or nearly so, of our professional lives. Our bodies have changed; our memories may be shakier, our friendships may be fewer, but, as Tennyson has the aged Ulysses proclaim in his great poem, “Old age hath yet his honor and his toil.” So, in our workshop, we will emulate the great Greek hero of myth and see what might yet lie along the shores of our own lives and those of the characters whose stories we will watch. The five films and various podcasts and writings will address: the value of taking risks when it is so easy to stay enveloped in routine; the ways in which our voices can still sing to others, moving them or helping them through their own dilemmas; the need for companionship and purpose and how they may evolve as we—or those we love— grow older and more frail.

Discussions via zoom on Tuesdays, September 20, 27, and October 4, 11 & 18, from 4- 5 PM. Please view the films and listen to the podcasts, et cetera, before we meet.

The Village Common relies on donations to offer our programs. This event is free to attend, but we thank you for any contributions you choose to give. Click on this button to donate.