Opinion: 50-somethings can still get lost in dance of time

Looking around the packed auditorium, it was obvious that the majority of the people would never see 40 again. In truth, may would be lucky to see 60 again. Yet, this massive crowd of “goldeners” were dressed to the hilt and danced like there was no tomorrow. It was as if they were oblivious to their age and none of them really cared either.

Supported by the talented Midge Ure (64), Phil Oakey (63) took to the stage in his space age outfit as if it was the summer of ’81. I was utterly spellbound and transported back to the time when I had first seen the band so long ago that I don’t care to remember. Inside I felt the combined emotion of joy and fear.

The joy was that the music was amazing and I felt as if I was at one with the crowd in a delightful ecstasy. Fear came in the sudden realisation of my own age. Without going into detail, I will never see 55 again. There are more years behind me than are ahead.

Strangely, I have never felt my age, even though I have had more than my fair share of serious ill health. I am lucky to be one of a few of my class at Westwood School to still have hair. Being a ginger has helped in keeping it a fairly normal colour.

Even with a slight paunch, I always try to dress well. I resist wearing “old man” clothes and have opted for a fairly timeless style. According to some people, I dress like Doctor Who; which one I dare not ask.

However, it is the thoughts and feelings inside my head that perplex me the most. I have no plans to retire or start to do the things that older people do. I want to enjoy what life I have left and be of value to the society in which I live. I certainly do not feel old and my mindset on life hasn’t changed for decades.

Looking back to when I was a child, old people looked, acted and behaved like old people should. They had their own fashion and behaviour and I was under the impression that at the age of 65 there was mandatory incarceration in an old people’s home.

I can still remember the day that my next-door neighbour was suddenly dragged away and put in a home in her 60s. It was either that or trading your council house for a warden- controlled flat.

My mother would wear a hairnet and had rolled down stockings around her ankles and my father was a pensioner by the time I got to junior school.

How things have changed. Listening to the nearly pensionable Ure and Oakey and dancing alongside an army of 50- somethings made me realise that old age in our society has to be redefined. There are a growing number of people refusing to grow old.

A study led by University College London links happiness and having a sense of purpose in life with a lower risk of death. The younger you think you are the longer you will live.

We have always had rock stars and actors defying age stereotypes. Now, it seems it is endemic in our society. People are living longer and scientists are saying that you really are as old as you feel.

It is amazing to see that many of the themed weekends in Whitby are packed out with elderly goths, steam punks and mods. None of them seem to be in a rush to give up their parkas or black eye make-up.

So many people now refuse to be defined by their age. Supermarkets are staffed by youthful pensioners starting second careers. As the Government forces up the retirement age people have no choice other than to carry on working.

This can only be a good thing and is leading to a whole new look on life. Some people bored with doing 30 years in one job often start out on new and innovative projects.

Getting older is a great opportunity to do those things that you have always wanted to do. It is also good for the economy, giving people more disposable income – no kids at home and a paid-off mortgage gives greater financial freedom.

It is true to say that no one 
gets out of life alive, but an increasing number of people seem to be intent on enjoying it to the very end.

GP Taylor is a writer and broadcaster and can be followed @GPTaylorauthor.