Septuagenarian...sounds like a reptile or a dinosaur, right?

I´ve run into the following word - "septuagenarian" - over the past couple of weeks while reading about the upcoming presidential election in the U.S.A. I admit I did not know what that word really meant, So today (November 9, 2019, at 1:24 a.m. GMT+1), while digesting my daily dose of the Washington Post I came across the word again in a commentary by Karen Tumulty In her text, she asks of Bloomberg´s possible entrance int the race for President of the United States, "but who looks at this race and thinks that what it needs is yet another septuagenarian in the mix?

Ok, that piqued my interest, because I did not know what "septuagenarian" meant. I decided to look the word up and find its meaning. Many of you might already know what the word means, but I did not. I am open about this just as I am open to learning new things (and words) every day.

A quick google search gave me the answer straight away. A Septuagenarian is a person who is between 70 and 79 years old. Oh, well. Easy enough, I guess. "Seventy", like "Septuagenarian", begins with an "S" and an "E", but those are the only clues that could have linked those to words together - at least for me. :-)

But something bothered me about that new word I learned. Besides the fact that it does sound like it is used to describe some kind of reptile or dinosaur, as I described above in my headline, I thought about it all morning. Ok, this is me: I am 50-"ish" and I suspect that Karen Tumulty is not much younger than I am (sorry Karen...). And when I thought about it, I determined that I am only about 15 or so years away from being a "Septuagenarian" myself! And that´s kind of frightening! Not because I am worried about being 70...but I guess I just don´t want to be labeled by something that sounds like an extinct dinosaur!

So, as I was heading to the marketplace in Potsdam, Germany, to shop for fresh fish, fruits and vegetables, I started thinking about things like ageism and #MeToo and feminism and millennials and youth and old age and a bunch of other things related to all those terms and I decided that I needed to write this article.

Has anyone of you watched the movie "Logan´s Run"? I did, when I was a kid, but I suspect that probably most Millennials and Generation "Z"-ers have not (a bit prejudiced on my part, but hey...). I looked at the plot explained on Wikileaks and found this description of the film:

In the year 2274, the remnants of human civilization live in a sealed city contained beneath a cluster of geodesic domes, a utopia run by a computer that takes care of all aspects of life, including reproduction. The citizens live a hedonistic life but, to prevent overpopulation, everyone must undergo the rite of "Carrousel" when they reach the age of 30. There, they are killed under the guise of being "renewed.” To track this, each person is implanted at birth with a "life-clock" crystal in the palm of the hand that changes color as they get older and begins blinking as they approach their "Last Day.” Most residents accept this chance for rebirth, but those who do not and attempt to flee the city are known as "Runners.” ("Runner: that´s me preparing for my 6th Marathon...). An elite team of policemen known as "Sandmen,” outfitted in predominantly black uniforms and serving in an agency of the city called "Deep Sleep,” are assigned to pursue and terminate Runners as they try to escape.

Oh, that´s scary. And the film is now vividly recalled to my memory...

Ok, I don´t want to overdo this or beat a "dead horse", but the point I am trying to make is this: I am kind of sick and tired of people being labeled simply by their age! "Septuagenarians"...c´mon! This term reminds me of questions that are frequently asked about "Boomers". When are they going to retire? Why do they want to work for so long? What about young people? The answers to these questions cannot be ageism.

Ok, I understand the frustration here. The population of our planet is growing by the decade and resources and jobs are getting scarce. Climate change, food shortages, social and political unrest as well as artificial intelligence are adding to the challenges we face. And has anyone over 50 applied for new jobs recently? You might know that software tools are screening you out in the application process more often than not - simply because of your AGE! "Logan´s Run" is already kind of happening.

And I also understand some "young" people´s frustration with the Baby Boomer generation (hi, Greta). They, for the most part as a generation, have done little to leave the world in a better place than they found for themselves after being born. I remember as a kid wondering if it was such a good idea for my parents to be entertaining a large refrigerator to keep drinks and watermelons cold on the back porch in the hot sun of South Carolina in 100-degree Fahrenheit weather (40-degree Celcius) back in the day...I now know, of course, that it was not a good idea. But don´t blame everyone over 50 alone for Global Warming and all the problems of the past!

A good acquaintance of mine, @Oxana Zeitler (an accomplished author and brand strategist - check out her upcoming book #Lead the Future, Shape your Brand) provided me a chart showing when the various generations came to be. So based on that chart, I am not a "Baby Boomer" but I am close. I belong to Generation X, if only barely. I am in that fuzzy area between the two generations. But when I was born or which Generation I belong to is not as important as who I am and what I can do for society...the same applies to Joe Biden, Michael Bloomberg, and Bernie Sanders! In my opinion, as long as they can cut the cake at this moment in time, they can eat it too!

Here is my take on age: we really need to genuinely stop categorizing people based on whatever attributes they possess: race, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, religious practice, height, weight and, yes, age, and accept them for who they are. ! I know "older" people that are creative, forward-thinking, curious, fun, entrepreneurial, flexible, exciting and combine all of those traits with EXPERIENCE. And I know "younger" people who have none of those traits, nor the experience...AND VICE VERSA.

By the way, thanks to Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post, I now have a new T-Shirt idea for the day I hopefully turn 70...I might even turn it into a cool brand before someone else gets the idea: SEPTUAGENARIAN. Wear it with pride! :-)