The Art of Ageing

“No young man believes he shall ever die,” observed William Hazlitt. Yet ageing remains a natural part of life and it is precisely the impermanence of life that renders it so precious. Knowing that it is brief requires us to appreciate each moment of beauty and waste no opportunity for learning and love. The Art of Ageing has been written to help us achieve these ends. However this aim has become much more difficult on account of our culture’s marginalization of the elderly and its glorification of the years of youth. A consequence of this bias is that ageing has become the major fear of a generation despite the calculation that by 2040 there will be more people over sixty-five years of age than children under five.

The Art of Ageing gives advice on how to make the most of ageing, how we can celebrate its positive gifts and includes the stories of a variety of people who have enjoyed creative and productive lives well into their eighties and nineties.

About the Author

John Lane

John Lane is a painter, writer, and educationalist. He was Chairman of the Dartington Hall Trust, founding director of the Beaford Arts Centre, and instrumental in the creation of Schumacher College. His previous books include The Living Tree: Art and the Sacred, In Praise of Devon, Timeless Beauty, The Spirit of Silence and A Celebration of Devon's Churches. He lives in North Devon, England, with his wife, Truda.

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