The void of old age

The Void of Old Age (2015) by philosopher Seiichi Washida.

It is probably the first time in human history that people have spent such a long period of time after retiring from active work. For example, even if one works for 40 years from the age of 20 to 60, a long "post-retirement" life of 20 or 30 years awaits them afterwards. However, the culture surrounding this period remains a void. As we face an unprecedented super-aging society, our way of thinking and approaching "old age" must change.

The author, a leading philosopher who has discussed familiar issues such as "daily life," "art," and "the face" as philosophical themes, raises doubts about the conventional view that "old age" is merely a blank period in life, or a problem of care and nursing. Is it not "the problem" itself that "old age" is only spoken of as a problem?

This book shatters our preconceptions about the experience of "old age" and offers a perspective to re-examine what can only be seen from that experience, and the power of "weakness." As an example, the efforts of the workshop at "Bethel's House," a facility for patients with schizophrenia, are introduced, casting a new light on the efficiency-driven nature of modern society.

We all grow old. And now that the aging rate has exceeded 25 percent (Cabinet Office, 2013), isn't a new way of thinking, a new philosophy, desperately needed for "old age"? This book is filled with ideas to fill the cultural void of "old age."

In China, old age is viewed from a different perspective than a "problem" as "silver money" (silver-haired economy). But what about Japan, more than 10 years after this book was published, where the aging rate has already risen to nearly 30%? (Ammel)