51吃瓜

Hollywood has a genre called 鈥渃oming of age鈥� movies, the iconic phenomenon where a teenager loses their virginity, gains identity and wisdom, and becomes a true adult. On rare occasions, 鈥渃oming of age鈥� can also happen to people in their 30s and 40s 鈥� as in The Big Chill and Thelma & Louise. When I turned 60, I came of age; I鈥檝e always been slow on the uptake.

Free at last

For me, turning 60 was strangely liberating and clarifying. 

You no longer care what others think of you. High school was so long ago. You no longer need to act cool. Friends are either those who know you well and accept you with all your flaws, or so old that they have forgotten them, or so young that they think you鈥檙e retro.

You鈥檙e no longer scared of the boss. You may not even have a boss 鈥� either because you鈥檝e retired, you work for yourself, you鈥檝e gotten rid of the boss or you are the boss (at least you think you鈥檙e the boss). And you鈥檙e no longer bound by the rules of any institution.

You no longer need to please or acquiesce to your spouse. You know each other pretty well by now, warts and all. And in spite of that, you鈥檝e decided to stay together. Or you鈥檝e long parted ways.

There鈥檚 no need to prove yourself or pretend you鈥檙e the smartest person in the room. You know you鈥檙e not 鈥� and you realize that that鈥檚 ok too. But you also realize that you have a right to your opinions and an equal right to voice them as anyone else in the room.

In many cases, the kids have grown up, moved out and moved ahead with their own lives. So, you can鈥檛 embarrass them anymore. Your parents have passed on, so you can鈥檛 disappoint or shock them more than you鈥檝e already done. Or they have become your friends. You鈥檙e no longer ego-driven. Ambitions have either been fulfilled or marked incomplete and shelved for the next incarnation.

You realize you are vulnerable and vincible. It鈥檚 not due to some grand design or because you deserve it, but only by sheer dumb luck that you鈥檙e still alive. It has finally struck you that 鈥� surprise 鈥� you too are mortal. Time is running out, so you can either speak now or forever hold your peace.

Thankfully, you鈥檙e not just older; you鈥檝e accumulated a lot of knowledge and life experience along the way. You鈥檝e earned every one of those wrinkles. And that may even have made you a bit wiser. But perhaps more importantly, you have moral clarity and compassion.

In many ways, you鈥檝e transcended yourself. You鈥檙e suddenly free, and you discover your voice. You can say exactly what鈥檚 on your mind. It鈥檚 not that you have no filter or say random things to hurt people. But rather, you have no selfish agenda, nothing to gain or lose, no one to please or fear. As Johnny Nash鈥檚 says, 鈥淚 can see clearly now the rain has gone鈥�.

Pliny the Elder is attributed to have said, 鈥�in vino, veritas鈥�; in essence, alcohol brings out the truth. I say 鈥�in aetate, veritas鈥�; age brings out the truth. And I鈥檓 thrilled to find I鈥檓 not alone. 

Many wise voices 鈥� brave and true

I鈥檓 discovering a myriad of inspiring elderly voices from various walks of life 鈥� unafraid to speak truth to power, to speak sanity to the insane, to call out unethical and inhumane actions, and to warn of impending dangers.

Some are academics who bring together history, context and knowledge to explain the current bewildering geopolitical situation 鈥� such as John (78), international relations scholar at the University of Chicago; Yakov (81), contemporary Jewish history professor at the University of Montreal; Jeffrey (71), economics professor and director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University; Richard (84), economics professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst; Rosalind (81), political science professor at the City University of New York; Vali (65), middle-east scholar at John Hopkins University); and Omer (71), Israeli-American historian at Brown University.聽

Some are AI experts warning us of the impending dangers of this new, unfettered, all-consuming technology 鈥� such as Jeffrey (78), Canadian computer scientist, Nobel laureate and professor at the University of Toronto; and Yoshua (62), Canadian computer scientist and professor at the University of Montreal. Both are considered 鈥済odfathers鈥� of AI.

Some are retired diplomats who speak out against the demonization of other countries and for the value of diplomacy 鈥� such as K.P. (85), retired Indian diplomat, permanent representative to UN organizations, and on global affairs; Chas (83), retired US ambassador to Saudi Arabia and former Assistant Secretary of Defense; Alistair (76), retired British diplomat/MI6, former EU envoy to the Middle East and founder of the organization Conflict Forums; Mohamed (83), Egyptian lawyer, Nobel laureate and former director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency; and Jack (96), retired US ambassador to the USSR and involved in negotiating an end to the Cold War.

Some are retired CIA and military officials sharing their experientially-derived conclusions of the futility of war 鈥� such as Douglas (79), retired US colonel, combat veteran and former advisor to US Secretary of Defense; Daniel , retired American Lieutenant Colonel, combat veteran and recipient of Ridenhour Prize for Truth-Telling; Ray (86), retired CIA officer and ex-chair of National Intelligence Estimates committee; Lawrence (80), retired US Army colonel and former Chief of Staff to the US Secretary of State; and John (70), former director of the CIA and the National Counterterrorism Center.

Some are activists highlighting the urgency of humanitarian and environmental causes 鈥� such as Medea (73), founder of the American anti-war organization Code Pink and fair-trade advocacy group Global Exchange; Vandana (73), Indian physicist and environmental activist; and Frank (75), South African cleric and anti-apartheid veteran. And notable for their brave stance in support of Palestinians are Stephen (87), Marione (88) and the North London (a group of Jewish women aged 75鈥�86) 鈥� to name just a few.

Some are journalists laying bare the truth as it happens and not as it鈥檚 reported in main-stream press 鈥� such as Chris (69), American Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and Christian minister; Peter (68), British journalist and broadcaster; Gideon (72), award-winning Israeli journalist and author; and Maria (62), Filipino-American journalist and Nobel laureate.

Some are members of the clergy preaching empathy and compassion for all 鈥� such as the late Bishop Desmond , the current Pope (70), as well as Rabbi Brant (63) and Rabbi Lynn (77).

Some are physicians explaining science and fighting for our health 鈥� such as Francis 聽 (75), geneticist and former head of National Institutes of Health; Anthony (85), immunologist and former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; and Tom (65), former director of the Center for Disease Control and the New York City Health Commissioner, and now CEO of the nonprofit health organization Resolve to Save Lives.

Aging entertainers are naturals to lend their practiced voices to causes. Robert (82), Jane (88) and Bruce (76) spoke at last month鈥檚 No Kings rallies. Several comedians 鈥� like Jon Stewart (63) and Stephen Colbert (61) 鈥� bravely remind us almost nightly with their biting wit of the insanity of the current situation. And actor Robert , who passed away last year at the age of 89, left us an exemplary lifetime of activism.

Despite their infamous predilection to the contrary, there are even some politicians who are brave and selfless enough to fall into this category. In the US, Bernie (84) (senator from the state of Vermont) and Elizabeth (76) (senator from Massachusetts and former law professor) are famous for speaking their minds. In Malta, there is Evarist (73), former minister for European & Foreign Affairs. In Greece, there is Yanis (65), an economist and the founder of a pan-European political party. In Canada, there are Lloyd (86) (retired minister of foreign affairs and currently chair of the World Refugee & Migration Council) and Bob (77) (former premier of Ontario and later Canada鈥檚 ambassador to the UN).

Then, there are : a committee founded in 2007 by South African President Nelson Mandela, of 12 鈥渋ndependent global leaders working together for peace, justice, human rights and a sustainable planet鈥�. Among others, the current 12 include: Gro Harlem Brundtland (86), the former Prime Minister (PM) of Norway and former director-general of the World Health Organization; Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (87), Nobel laureate and former President of Liberia; Denis Mukwege (71), Congolese humanitarian, pastor and gynecologist; Zeid bin Ra鈥檃d (62), professor, former Jordanian diplomat and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; Helen Clark (76), former PM of New Zealand and administrator of the UN Development Programme; and Juan Manuel Santos (74), Nobel laureate, former president of Columbia and current Chair of The Elders.

And these are just some of the better-known personalities who are talking their walk and walking their talk 鈥� albeit a bit more slowly.

Listen, learn, live

The elderly can be a hugely valuable resource. They are some of the smartest people on the planet. Their understanding of history, their lived experience, their selflessness and their genuine concern for the well-being of humanity are difficult to replicate in any other population group. They can provide context, a reality check and a moral compass. They can provide advice and guidance to make our world more peaceful, compassionate and livable. And they can give us a much-needed kick in the pants to act before it鈥檚 too late.

Today, we seem to be living in a world gone mad: imagining 鈥渆vil鈥� adversaries and creating unnecessary wars, or obsessing with minutiae 鈥� while totally ignoring diplomacy, genuine humanitarian concerns (e.g., poverty, migrations, famine, the uncontrolled advent of AI) and the relentless march of climate change. At such a time, the many sane and experienced people over 60 who are speaking their minds and, more importantly, their consciences, are not only a novelty, entertainment-wise, but also imperative to our well-being and shared humanity. We would do well to listen.

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The views expressed in this article are the author鈥檚 own and do not necessarily reflect 51吃瓜鈥檚 editorial policy.