A middle-aged friend of mine had been suffering from a bad headache for days. After a thorough check-up by a specialist, she was told that it had something to do with her ears. And the root of the problem was ageing. Upon hearing that, I let out a sigh of relief. At least it wasn't something malignant. But my friend remained depressed. She was upset by the fact that her ears had lost the ability to capture sounds with higher frequencies. I tried to comfort her and said: 'At least you won't be bothered by the screams of naughty children in the neighbourhood. 'Isn't that nice?' Obviously it didn't help. My friend just sighed. It is never easy to comfort someone who is depressed about growing old. It is even harder when the counsellor is much younger and has trouble understanding what the fuss is all about. And, have you noticed, that the fear of ageing seems to develop early in life? More than a few friends whined when they turned 18. More joined the chorus on their 20th birthdays. And now practically everyone is dreading the day they turn 30. With scientific research showing that ageing is partly caused by free radicals, a by-product of oxidation, even breathing seems to be a dangerous activity. Of course, with ageing comes aching joints, wrinkles, gradual loss of sight and/or hearing and perhaps more complicated health problems. None of these are pleasant. But we have all been 'ageing' since the day we were born. It is as natural as breathing and sleeping. So instead of trying to hold our breath, perhaps we should start living a healthy lifestyle. After all, that is the best way to lead an illness-free life. Ms Yow is a Young Post reporter Graphic: SOPHIAGES
