Alpha Males and Getting Old

"Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light." Dylan Thomas.

The picture at the top is of a real alpha male. His name is Jack Lalanne. He was a fitness and health innovator.The real deal, not someone who created an image by manipulating the media. Go to his Wikipedia page and read his bio. He was one of a kind. 

But here's the thing, in this picture you see an 85 year old man doing extended arm, fingertip push-ups. That's Jack.

Now consider this quote by Jack: "People work at dying, they don't work at living."

This now brings us to the heart of my message today. Getting old. Notice, I didn't say aging or getting older. I'm talking about getting OLD and being OLD.

There is much talk these days about growing old "gracefully" and just accepting what is called the inevitable decline associated with the passing years. To that I say, why, and what sense does it make?

My view on this train of thought is contained in the first three lines of the poem, 'Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night' shown at the beginning of this article as well as the quote by Jack referenced above.

Here's an example, as soon as someone is not feeling well or has aches and pains, they say: "I'm getting old," by doing this they are setting themselves up for an unhealthy mindset that includes not changing yourself.

It may be easier to just kind of roll over and do nothing. However, the end result is anything but easy. Illness and lack of mobility are too often the end result of the blind acceptance of getting old.

Choose to resist this passivity and acceptance. Be like Jack who lived to be a healthy 96 years. 

Exercise, use your mind, have a purpose and goal(s).

"Rage against the dying of the light."