Supercentenarians - Changing the Way We Think About Aging
Comfort Life was pleased to attend The Sheridan Elder Research Centre's (SERC) unique exhibition Chronicles of Future's Past, a collection of Jerry Friedman's photographs of earth's oldest people — Supercentenarians.
Supercentenarians are individuals aged 110+. It was truly amazing to see images of each of these beautiful people and to read brief snippets about their lives. The complete collection of Jerry Friedman's work is chronicled in detail in the book Earth's Elders: The Wisdom of the World's Oldest People (published by Earth's Elders Foundation. Inc., ISBN: 0-9769108-0-2).
A few of the Supercentenarians featured in the exhibit have stayed with us since then. We were captivated by their faces and inspirational stories:
Swami Bua (Born 1889 in Pollachi, India)
This Supercentenarian Indian yogi was the youngest of eighteen children and was born with severe physical disabilities. He was outcast from his family and community and became a wanderer, then a Brahmin (a member of the Hindu priestly sect). When asked the secret to his long life he responded:
"It is because of all God's grace, supplemented with good thoughts, good eating, pure vegetarianism, humility, no anger or jealousy, and loveableness" (The Earth's Elders, 121).
Bettie Wilson (Born September 13, 1890 in New Albany, Mississippi, USA)
Her warm face and intelligent eyes immediately drew our curiosity to Ms. Bettie Wilson, who after a long, full life and marriage had "three children, twelve grandchildren, forty-six great grandchildren, ninety-five great-great-grandchildren and forty great-great-great grandchildren" (198). This amazing matriarch had clear recollections of her childhood including "the long days of labor for her sharecropping family". Her parents, both slaves became sharecroppers after the Civil War and took their names from the plantation's owner. When asked what advice she would give to children today she simply stated:
"I'd tell 'em, get a good job, choose one they like, and stick to it, don't jump around" (198).
Other amazing Supercentenarians interviewed by Jerry Friedman include Anne Puche (right), who credits her longevity to the red wine from her family's winery, which she has enjoyed throughout her life. Kamato Hongo's (above) long life may be attributed to her laid back philosophy "Kamato's belief in not worrying has kept her healthy. She used to say, 'Don't steal others stuff' and "Do the right thing" to her children and she seems to have lived by these simple words" (158).
Whenever we see or meet an amazing individual who has lived a long life we are tempted to inquire about their secrets, in the hopes that we can apply these tips, suggestions and attitudes to our own lives. In fact, our focus on longevity only distracts us from the real truth - that the elderly in our society have a rich wisdom to share. Photographer Jerry Friedman's message is simple - we can no longer push our elderly to the fringe of society and expect them to remain invisible, with no real link to the community. In fact, these Supercentenarians have a lot to offer our society and our family units. We need to change the way we look and feel about aging in order to truly improve the lives of the elderly and of ourselves.
The staff at Comfort Life would like to extend our sincere gratitude to SERC for inviting us to their exhibit of Jerry Friedman's work.
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Do you think society's attitude towards aging and the elderly needs to shift? What can we do to instigate this change? Share your thoughts and ideas in the Comments section below.
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