Exploring the challenges of living longer
A series of talks on the subject of growing older have been given at St Michael's and All Angels Church in Macclesfield town centre. Among the speakers was the Bishop of Stockport (pictured).
The latest of the talks will take place on Wednesday 10 October, starting at 2.30pm. The speaker will be Peter Dunlop, who will talk about what it is like to have Alzheimer's.
The discussions are the latest in a series of such events which the church, in Market Place, Macclesfield, has held for the past four years.
The theme for this year’s talks came after the Curate, the Revd David Wightman (pictured below), attended the launch for Bishop Robert’s book ‘The Contented Life – spirituality and the gift of years’ which explores how the years of retirement can enable people to use the time to bring inner coherence to their lives and healing to fragmented relationships.
David said: “Over the next 20 years the numbers of people aged over 60 will grow dramatically. This raises issues about how to use the extra 20 years that most of us can expect to live, compared to what we would have expected in previous decades. In our series of talks, and in the conference we held, we wanted to explore the challenges this trend will bring.”
In previous years the talks have covered topics such as the impact of the media, the economic crisis, and environmental issues.
In the latest talk (Wednesday 10 October) Peter Dunlop – a respected senior obstetrics and gynecology consultant – will talk about his experiences of living with dementia. As well as the problems and difficulties involved, Peter says having Alzheimer’s also gives him the chance to continue to put his decades of medical experience into practice.
He said: “A lot of people have heard of this terrible word ‘dementia' and of Alzheimer's disease but they don't know what these actually mean. So they are delighted to see people with dementia who are living well.’
Another speaker has been Gillian Peall, Secretary of the Macclesfield Rural U3A (University of the Third Age). She spoke on the theme of ‘Using the Years’ and there was also a day conference themed on growing older.
And Bishop Robert in his talk last month said: “Last week in London a young man got up for me on the Tube so I could sit down. It wasn’t out of respect for my purple shirt because I was in mufti. Clearly I must have been looking particularly decrepit that day and I thought it ungracious of me to decline his offer. But it was a bit of a shock, I have to confess.
“Living on a fixed income is a challenge I have yet to face. Time will tell whether I am hopelessly naïve, but I think George Bernard Shaw hit the nail on the head when he said that, ‘Money won’t make you happy, but at least it will enable you to be miserable in comfort.’
“In our preoccupation with happiness, we are neglecting the virtue of contentment. Kierkegaard, the great Danish philosopher, says that self-absorption is the enemy of contentment because ‘the door to happiness always opens outwards.’ Outwards towards life, outwards towards other people in trust and friendship, and indeed outwards to God.
“There is much wisdom in what Kierkegaard says. Certainly, as I grow older, I find the quest for inner coherence in my life moving centre stage. I need to face my demons and integrate my disappointments. I need to focus on the essence of life, not its accessories."
Posted on - 04/10/2012