That is really the crux of the matter. In this Internet-savvy, media-infused culture, we have forgotten that people do get older, even, dare I say it, old, old. Television is full of pretty young people. The few white-haired heads that one sees on television are made up and glamorous. Off camera, though, most bear little resemblance to their TV persona.
In a culture of Botox, wrinkle cream, and hair dye, we cannot imagine that becoming older is a good thing, an experience to look forward to, a state worthy of respect. If I were 50 years old and used canes due to some injury or had a disease-related tremor, the newsletter stories would be about my carrying on despite my adversities. But my only adversity is age. Age.
In real life, the lucky ones among us do get old. We move down the steep slope, to the far right of the bell curve of age. The really lucky ones, and I almost count myself among them, get to be aged, into their nineties or even older, a distinction that I think is naturally paired with the wisdom borne of experience. We do get white hair, yes. And we do get wrinkles. And we move more slowly. We worry about falling down because we do not bounce up the way we used to.
Our brains are still sharp, but our tongues are slower. We have learned, sometimes the hard way, to think before we speak. I hope, however, that what we have to say is worth the wait.
Many good things are worth the wait. Grandma Moses did not take up painting until the age of 75. She painted some 1,600 paintings, 250 of which she painted after her 100th birthday. Michelangelo was still working on frescos and sculptures when he died at the age of 89.
Age is no barrier to accomplishment. When the spirit and the mind are willing, the creative juices continue to flow. I like to think that I still have a few things left on my to-do list. I also like to think that someday our rapidly aging society will get over its fear and its denial of aging. We had better get over it quickly because the demographics tell us our senior population is rapidly growing.
If my colleagues still show deference to me, as the news article reported, I hope it is due to my experience, my position as chairman of the Appropriations Committee, and my ability as a Senator. If they are patient with me as I turn the page, I hope that is an example of the Golden Rule; that they show patience with my minor adversities of age as they hope that someday others will show to them.
After all, the Senate is not exactly full of spring chickens. You better believe it. It is not supposed to be. The Senate was designed to give age and experience a chance to flourish, and the rules give slower speakers--the rules give slower speakers a chance to be heard.
Five percent of Senators date from the roaring 1920s. All of them served in World War II. The Senate will truly lose a great generation when they decide, if ever, if ever, to retire.
Almost a quarter of Senators date from the 1930s, including many seasoned committee chairmen and ranking members. I am sure my younger colleagues on the Appropriations Committee appreciate the opportunity to play a larger role as appropriations bills move through the Senate, as the recent articles reported.
As I have gotten older, I have learned to have great trust and great respect for my colleagues, many of whom I have worked with for many years. Why is that decried as a bad thing? Why should not these fine Senators, now in their fifties through their eighties, get to spread their wings while the old wise Byrd watches?
Abraham Lincoln once rightly observed:
In the end, it's not the years of your life that count. It's the life in your years.
My only adversity--my only adversity is age. It is not a bar to my usefulness as a Senator. I still look out for West Virginia. I still zealously guard the welfare of this Nation and its Constitution. I still work every day to move the business of this Nation forward, to end this reckless adventure in Iraq, and to protect, to preserve, and defend the Constitution of the United States against all those who would reshape it to suit partisan agenda. I will continue to do this work until this old body just gives out and drops. Do not expect that to be anytime soon.
I believe all ages and all occupations should be part of a truly representative body. I also believe society works best when the energy and idealism of youth, youth, youth, pairs with the experience and wisdom of age.
America is the land of opportunities. I don't think our some 36 million citizens over the age of 65 are disqualified from participating in the life of the country that we--we--helped to build. Our country rejected those kinds of arbitrary barriers long ago, and this Senator loudly and proudly rejects them now.