In my mid-70s I ponder how much longer I have in this world, on this planet, with my family. I watch them sub-consciously prepare for our departure by clinging closer to their loved ones, by contacting us less, by building their own worlds richer, more secure. That is as it should be, but, but, it leaves me/us more vulnerable, less engaged in their daily lives and thus, less engaged in this world. This is made worse with the current Covid-19 pandemic. Our own outside activities have been curtailed. What might have been other connections to the world outside our household, outside our family, are denied us. Letters, social media, and Zoom gatherings all lack the warmth, the subtle nuances, the mannerisms, the sub-verbal clues and reactions that connect us to others. Changes in verbal pitch and tone are often masked or reduced by technology, further reducing our connections.
Not only do the elderly suffer from this lack, but so do students who are relegated to online learning, coworkers who have to communicate via technology, as do club members, classmates, old friends, new friends, extended family. How can we maintain connections when we are deprived of face-to-face human connection?
And so we are left on our own, struggling to stay relevant in increasingly remote outside contacts. That is another aspect of aging at this time, in this environment.
