FUKUYAMA IN THE SWIMMING POOL
Almost every day I swim laps in the swimming pool, exercising my body mistreated by age and not too saintly lifestyle. While finishing the last laps one morning I noticed an older gentleman, in his nineties, in the shallow end of the pool, hanging onto the wall’s edge, his body shivering as if he was cold. Naturally feeling concerned, I swam closer to engage him in conversation.
“I see it’s a bit too cold for you. Today’s water is not the warmest, but you know, I have a method for dealing with that.”
“Really?” he replied.
I sensed encouragement in his voice to continue. “Before entering the pool I take a hot shower. By the time I leave the locker room and reach the pool, it evaporates, cooling my body to the point where I don’t feel much difference between the water and my body temperatures. It’s not my imagination but physics.”
The senior looked at me attentively then asked, “Do you consider every older person a scatterbrained fool?”
Taken aback by such a harsh response, I thought of moving on but decided to respond in the same tone: “I beg your pardon, not everybody, but certainly a majority.”
He looked at me and said, “You have no idea how close you are to the truth,” and responded with a sarcastic grin.
“Ah! I underestimated this grandfather,” I thought and asked,” Have you removed yourself from this group?”
“I see that you are sarcastic. That’s good, for it means that your gray matter is still working.”
“I’m glad, that we have similar opinions of each other,” I tossed back, without much consideration.
“Very well. Excuse me” his voice taking on a conciliatory tone, “But, deliberately or not, you touched upon a very serious problem. If you want to continue this discussion let’s meet for coffee, after the pool.”
Looking around, I saw that my lane was now occupied by someone else, which meant I would have to maneuver between some women immersed in an endless conversation regarding their grandchildren, churches, their own and their husbands’ illnesses and sometimes, pancake recipes. They become so engaged that without realizing it, their circle spreads out over the width of the pool. A year ago I brought this to their attention, with a suggestion to stand against the long side of the pool to chat, but ever since, two of them ignore my polite greetings. However, having said that, over all, the ladies are polite and pleasant. “It will be a pleasure to have coffee with you,” I responded, “I have a few minutes left to finish my routine, but I could cut it short. Shall we go now?”
“I have had enough of sitting in the water. Let’s go. We’ll meet at one of the tables.”
I started making my way out, pushing through the depth and volume of water.
Despite a large number of people in the lobby I had luck in finding an unoccupied table on which I placed my bag and went to get some coffee. It took a few minutes for my new acquaintance to appear in the locker room door, slowly pushing a walker and taking small steps. It took him awhile to move the walker aside and get seated in a chair. I stood up asking if I could assist in some way.
“No, thank you. I must be self-sufficient”, he answered.
I waited a moment, as he sat down, then I also took my seat and asked, “May I bring you something to drink? There is coffee and water.”
“You are not correct. There is an automated drink machine. Since you are so kind, please get me a water.”
I brought the water in my extra paper cup and set it down, wondering if asking about his age might come across as rude.
“How old are you, if I may ask?” He smiled. “At my age there is no reason to hide this.
Ninety six.”
“Dear God! Biologically speaking, you could be my father.”
“My son was a little younger than you.”
“Was?”
“Yes, he passed last year.”
“It saddens me to hear that. I’m sorry.”
“No need. I got used to the emptiness around me.” “What did he die from? After all, he was not that old.”
“At his age, a viral lung infection with complications was a death sentence. Let’s talk about something else.”
“Maybe about the feeble-mindedness associated with aging? I hope we won’t be talking about ourselves” I said smiling, to underline the sarcasm and humor in my comment.
“You see,” he said, “there is nothing funny in this. I know something about how the brain changes as we grow old. I’m not an expert in this field, but I know enough for my needs. For the purposes of this discussion we have to eliminate diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, for they are a completely different matter which doesn’t interest me. Rather, I’m curious about the cultural undertones underlying the problem.”
“Cultural undertones”? That remark really surprised me. “Do you think that we have the means to control it somehow?” I asked.
“But of course, and that is what interests me.”
“Can you expound on that?” I asked with obvious curiosity.
“You see”, continued my interlocutor, “we should probably begin by acknowledging that for many thousands of years of evolving human civilization, the elders were a source of knowledge and wisdom, accumulated through years of experience which was passed on to the younger generation. Thus we have the portraits of the wise men in advanced ages with their long grey beards. Such customs can still be found in many countries. I won’t talk about their effect, since the media frequently provides information regarding ritual mutilation, stoning and honor killings, not to mention forbidding women’s education. Simply said, some elders are resistant to any societal changes.”
“In the countries with advanced civilizations, the mental impairment in the senior population is fairly common, but it has different causes,” continued this nearly 100-year-old man, as I listened, intrigued. “You undoubtedly know that the human brain is most receptive in childhood and in years of early youth. It’s then that the concept of the world forms as the young person absorbs information and ideas, ethical standards, general and professional knowledge, political views, philosophy at some level, newest technology, and more. The young person enters adult life with this baggage, confirming an earlier created vision of the world. It’s all good, but due to the lack of will or intellectual ability, he or she doesn’t notice the contemporary world rushing ahead with great speed. Higher education is outdated at the moment of its completion, for scholars have developed new concepts, technologies have advanced, and books were written in many fields. Ethics and mores change as once forbidden behaviors become accepted, lifestyles are expanding, fashion is evolving and just about everything in our realm is following suit.”
“But who can keep up with this pace?” I almost yelled.
“Nobody,” he interrupted. “Smart individuals try to keep up with the new developments in their fields and take advantage of the work of those in other areas. Let’s take the cosmos for example. Knowledge in this field has grown exponentially to the point that only the professionals involved are capable of understanding new ideas in this field. If you were under the impression that this pertains just to the exact science, you are mistaken. Let’s take for example, students completing their university studies in literature. Their knowledge is outdated at the moment of graduation because during their studies new directions and esthetic trends emerged, new books and articles were written. This matter also pertains to the clergy.”
“It’s all very well,” I interrupted the older gentlemen, “but those are people with a higher education. What about the rest?”
“The rest should be aware, that the concept of the world they developed at home, school, and in their social circles may no longer be valid, that changes occurred and many things were overvalued. When fresh trends, movements, inventions show up, they should not be dismissed before additional information is sought, and without some introspection, before settling for the good old days.”
“Sir,” I interrupted, “I recently had a chance to watch two documentary films on YouTube: one trying to prove that the Earth is flat, and the other, that it is around six thousand years old. Each film was very seriously attempting to prove their ‘truth’. Do you realize that around ten million people in the United States buy into these theories?”
My interlocutor was silent for a moment. “A while ago, some thinkers proposed that science, technology and the contemporary world are now beyond human comprehension, with consequences that do not bode well for the mankind.”
“Surely you’re exaggerating,” I interrupted again.
“Really?… Let’s consider how many people across the earth live in a state of abject poverty and ignorance. Let’s consider how many countries are led by primitive and ruthless dictators, who are doing all they can to maintain the status quo, in order to keep their grip on power. In Western Europe we see the reemergence of fascism, while in the Eastern Europe, where the society used to the government’s thinking and acting on their behalf, doesn’t understand and cannot accept changes leading to the formation of a new society.”
He continued, “In the United States, where polarization has reached a degree not seen since the Civil War, the citizens are faced with the choices of quasi fascism or conventional democracy. Unless individuals’ decisions are based on sound analysis of and introspection about what is happening around them, the future generations will bear the consequences of their choices. I’m afraid that rational thinking is not the voter’s best strength, given their susceptibility to demagoguery, nationalistic fervor and populism, which leaves many of them living in an emotion clouded reality.
After a brief pause and a sip of his water, he went on, “Thirty years ago, Francis Fukuyama, an American professor of political economy, wrote a book entitled ‘The End of History’ which was read around the world. It was not to be. History continues as we speak, but we need to reflect: which history?”
At that moment a phone in his pocket started ringing. He excused himself and listened, confirming some matter.
“They have arrived. Good speaking with you,” he added smiling. “We began with older people losing their grip on reality and concluded with Fukuyama. Hope it did not bore you. Till next time. Keep swimming, it’s good for the brain.”
“See you,” I answered, looking at this almost centenarian with unabashed admiration.
Translated by Julian Boryczewski