Photo/Illutration Elderly people exercise at a care home in Agui, Aichi Prefecture. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

William Shakespeare’s “King Lear” is about a man perturbed about his old age.

Wishing to divide his assets among his three daughters, the elderly monarch declares his retirement from the throne, saying he was divesting himself of “rule, interest of territory, cares of state.”

But his hopes for a peaceful life after retirement are dashed.

Deciding what to do in old age appears to be a universal and timeless dilemma. What should Lear have done?

“If I were to counsel Lear, I’d tell him never to think of retiring--until someone encourages him to retire,” said Takehiko Kobayashi, 59, a professor at the University of Tokyo and a biologist who specializes in researching aging, with a smile. 

He is also the author of a book titled “Naze Hito Dake ga Oiru no ka” (Why only humans grow old).

There is no such thing as old age among wild animals, Kobayashi maintains. Aging is an exclusive right gained by humans in the evolutionary process.

I see. But why?

“Quite obviously because humans needed the presence of seniors to support the younger generations,” Kobayashi said.

But it goes without saying that not everyone can remain fully active or functional in old age. Some become ill while others come to be seen by younger members of society as “rogai” (old nuisances) for overstaying their welcome, so to speak.

That, however, is no reason why the elderly should pressure themselves into unwanted early retirement.

Kobayashi believes young people can see hope in their own futures only if society has a place for seniors to be useful to others, in whatever capacity and wherever they are--be it at their place of work, in their neighborhood community or even at home.

“Being able to live as humanly as possible depends on how one lives in old age,” Kobayashi said.

That means humans become “really human” only when they are old. I folded my arms as I contemplated my life in the coming years.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 13

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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