Aging is Not for Sissies

I sat once, across from my aging mum in a restaurant in Florida. As we were getting ready to order, my mum kept confusing me with someone else—her brother, my brother. I had flown down to Florida to see my mum, because her neighbor had called us to say that my mum’s latest hubby had been taken into the hospital with a serious condition, and my mom was now wandering the streets around her trailer park. My mom was now 80ish. We had been getting more concerned about her, since, when we spoke with her by phone, she often told us things like, she hadn’t spoken to my brother in a long time. Yet, when we asked my brother, it turns out he had spoken with her the day before.  It seemed that her age had caught up with her, and she was now in the midst of something like senile dementia.  She was often somewhere other than her present.  In discussing her condition with my brother, we decided that I needed to fly her north. He agree to take care of her, either in his home, or in a nursing care facility.  It turned out that she needed constant care, because she was in an advanced stage of dementia.

I had also two grannies who, as they approached that magic age of 85, suddenly headed South physically, and both died soon thereafter.  To my knowledge, no one in my family lived beyond the age of 85. Since I am now 89, I am . . . hmmm . . . cautious about this issue of aging.

Curiously, my wife (age 88) and I are still fully functional, living by ourselves, driving our car to shop, or visit family, or work out several times per week. We experience no serious age issues associated with our brain. We do have some physical issues, as can be seen by the large number of prescription drugs we each take.  But I still write, create some artsy stuff and engage with other humans. My wife, teaches literacy, creates quilts for donation to a children’s hospital, and she cooks like a restaurant gourmet chef.

I raise these issues because we have two aging contenders for our 2024 Presidential campaign. President Biden is 81. Candidate Trump is 77. Joe will turn 82 this coming November. Trump will turn 78 this June.  Now much of the aging fuss seems directed at Biden, as well it might be. But to be fair, Trump at 77-78 is arguably way less capable mentally than Joe.  But the same might have been said when Trump was only 37. But Trump’s mental acuity is less associated strictly with advanced age than more simply a diminished brain capacity from birth.  Also, his daddy was a literal Nazi, and we do not know how much of Trump’s limited brain capacity stems from too heavy a dose of Nazi rhetoric when he was very young.

Lately Joe has mixed up some names of foreign leaders, suggesting some “forgetting”, a not uncommon trait in all humans. But Trump reveals more strictly a lack of intelligence in any and all encounters with other humans. And some of his declarations go way beyond simply forgetting, and wander into terminal ignorance, or perhaps actual stupidity.  Recently he revealed a profound lack of understanding of how NATO functions when he declared at a rally:

“ . . .in South Carolina that not only would he not defend European countries he deemed to be in arrears from an attack by Russia, but that he would go so far as to “encourage” Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” against them. Never before has a president of the United States — even a former one aspiring to reclaim the office — suggested that he would incite an enemy to attack American allies.” (from the New York Times).

See those are vastly different mental issues, especially from the perspective of an American President. We really do want/need our presidents to understand basic issues like the basics of our alliances with friendly powers (NATO). Should they make decisions that run counter to our best interests regarding our allies, then America may be at risk of wars with other powers.

This is where the journalistic encounters of a President must be treated with the relative seriousness they deserve. Trump’s comments vis-à-vis NATO do not fall into the “forgetful” category and should be treated differently than Biden’s mixing up of foreign leaders’ names.

So, how do I view Biden and Trump regarding their relative ages?

Well, I regard Trump as mentally deficient, and mentally warped, but I think those are not age-related.  Perhaps like my Mother, Trump’s mind may well begin to falter as he ages, making his current mental deficiencies even more concerning.  Trump’s mind is, in my view, seriously deficient given the needs of our Nation, and the seriousness of the policy issues that are always facing the Nation.  Trump may be an adequate TV –Apprentice performer, but in my view, he is not even close to that mind we need to oversee and manage our National affairs. And his mind will become worse over time, should he serve as President, both as a result of increased aging issues, and the enormous stresses placed on all humans in that job.  Trump is not even close to the kind of mental acuity we need in a President. Not even close.

Now Joe Biden. President Biden has, I think, demonstrated his ability to function effectively as President.  Indeed, the Nation has done remarkably well. Our economy is in good shape, unemployment is reasonable, interest rates are stable, even falling a bit. I know people are complaining about the cost of living, but I surmise that Biden is not the main cause.

Now, Biden is heading on toward 82. At the end of his full term, he will be 86. Will he have more serious mental issues associated with aging?? Well, he may well, but that is not necessarily true. Again, I am 89, headed on towards that 90 thing in December. We have a good friend, a woman who lives by herself in her own home in Rhode Island who is pushing onto 102. She lives alone. She writes a monthly column for a local newspaper. When we engage her mentally, she seems remarkably well, and her mind continues to function as though she were much younger.  And yet, there was my mum, just past 80 and totally out of it mentally.  I am not a neuroscientist so I have no idea about the odds of Biden heading in one direction or another.  Is his age concerning?? Well sure it is. Were he 45, we would not be having this discussion, unless of course, “he” was Donald Trump, because Trump’s mind is always concerning.

Now with Joe, right now, to me, he seems perfectly ok. But we do not know how long that may last. I would prefer it were Joe 60 or even 70. But he isn’t. I take some relief in knowing that, should his mind begin to diminish, we have Kamala waiting in the wings. I treat her as a serious replacement for Joe, although I understand not everyone feels the same way.  But it is Joe running for President, not Kamala. Now, to be fair it is Joe AND Kamala running as a pair. Should he falter, she steps in. To me, that is ok.

So, is Joe’s brain an issue in this election? Well, yes, it surely is. But I take some offense at the notion that it is only Joe’s brain that is at issue. Surely folks, you are or should be even more concerned with Trump’s brain. Cuz we are certain that his brain is seriously deficient in every way that it counts for the Presidency. So, Folks, just be very careful what you wish for here.