by Lisbet Loiselle

Created on: June 15, 2010

Looking young, not necessarily being young, has always been a point of interest. This interest has exploded into an obsession within the last ten years. It once appealed to people in knowing that they would grow old gracefully and gain respect from youngsters. It seems that, these days, once people grow old they are kicked to the curb and told to get out of the way. Young people are practically put on a pedestal, especially the beautiful ones. Apparently, this means that society has started wading around in the baby pool, because it's now obvious that we are that shallow.

The fact that we all ogle over half-naked teens/young adults online, on the tv, on the streets and in the malls means several things. We've completely lost our minds, and any depth we had within ourselves. People are catering to their selfish, primal needs only and completely disregarding any intellect or variation to a person. More and more we look for the perfect body and once we find it, we want to see even MORE! Viewing for pleasure is at our fingertips, as the media and technology happily feed our hunger.

Modern day procedures to halt the aging processes are sprouting up everywhere, and people are throwing big bucks away to give them a whirl. Today's women don't want to look 45, they want to look 35...and it is possible if they have the money. What happened to taking care of our bodies, eating healthfully, exercising, engaging in intellectual stimulation rather than poring over Women's Health...taking RESPONSIBILITY!? To be frank, our society has become a cop out society. We are all searching for the fountain of youth, and if we don't find it we truly believe our lives aren't worth living. How could we possibly go on if we start to have smile lines?! Who will love us?! Please. It seems that people have lost their confidence and can only gain it back by pulling their eyes up farther on their faces. I'm not sure when confidence became solely based on looks rather than inner peace and intelligence, but somewhere along the line silicone and botox became wonderful ways for people to fix their unhappiness. What's funny about that? After procedures, people still claim they are miserable, but happy that people notice their chests. We're all attention-starved.

America's obsession has sped up quickly within the last five years, and we are probably headed for some sort of medical catastrophe. People ignore that they are aging by continually trying new remedies. They may look alright for a few years, but time will eventually take its toll. Why is it that we ignore the beauty of aging? If anything, it is mentally unhealthy to try and stall your life. People should continue on their personal ride of life and embrace every passing moment, every new wrinkle, every new lesson learned. This life of ours is not based on youth, and was never meant to be. Meandering along the roads ahead is a blessing, sagging skin and all, and we should take it in stride and happiness.

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