The Real Debate We Need by Heather R. Mizeur

It matters that the leader of the Free World has the faculties and mental acuity to perform the functions of such a demanding job. While it’s important never to rush to any conclusions based on one flubbed televised performance, it is healthy for us to have a discerning moment after President Biden’s recent debate stumbles raised questions about his fitness for office. But what feels most lost to me in this national dialogue is an opportunity for us to elevate a conversation about how our culture routinely dismisses the wisdom of our elders and pushes them to society’s margins once certain signs of aging appear.

We all know that the moment we are born, we begin our journey towards death. The life we build between these two events shapes just a brief snapshot in time. But fear of aging, becoming irrelevant, missing our chance to make a difference in the world, experiencing body limitations, navigating discomfort, or facing the ultimate unknown of what it means to no longer live this life is often met with desperate attempts to avoid acceptance of this certainty.

The desperation is subtle, perhaps even subconscious. But it is a dominant force in our culture. And as a result, we are often missing out on the incredible fullness of life we could experience by inviting our seniors to be in the center of our civic life, sharing their wisdom and teachings, and helping to guide our own journeys to becoming an elder. Is it any wonder that we fear aging when the cultural response is to assume we are no longer capable of expressing our fullness of being when our bodies grow older? What if the opposite is true, and we are missing the benefit from years of experience and insights when someone enters their golden season?

We have an opportunity in this moment – regardless of political ideology – to hit the pause button and take a closer look at how we instinctively respond to signs of aging around us and spend some time uncovering whether we jump to conclusions about what that means.

Is losing a train of thought, stuttering words, having a forgetful moment, or needing help securely walking down a set of stairs a sign of anything other than an invitation for patience? How would our world feel differently if we embraced rather than rejected that?

There was other behavior we saw on display at that debate that should raise additional important questions. How much value as a society do we place on honesty, kindness, and being a good human? Why is there not a collective outrage about rampant lying, criminal behavior, and outright plans to overthrow democracy and replace it with a dictatorship? These should not be partisan issues.

This election is really a referendum on us, the people. For two hundred and forty-eight years now, we have been living in a delicious experiment of self-governance where the government’s powers are derived from the consent of the governed. Democracy requires our active engagement and participation to work.

So it’s good to ask questions. I’m just a fan of asking ones that go deeper than the surface. It’s hard to take a good look at ourselves. However, in doing so, the true freedom we seek is there. We are not going to find our way out of this mess without a willingness to stretch our understanding of self and others.

I stand ready to offer my own wisdom –  which grows each year as I age into this beautifully flawed body – about how we can reject the division and come together again as neighbors dedicated to finding common ground, solving big problems, and sharing big dreams again. We cannot have freedom, equality, and justice without infusing our humanity into the cause.

Heather R. Mizeur is the founder of a non-profit organization, the #WeAreOne Alliance, dedicated to disrupting the division and finding connections to foster honorable civic engagement. She was the Democratic Nominee for Maryland’s First Congressional District in 2022 and she owns and operates Apotheosis Farm in Kent County with her spouse, Deborah. She can be reached at [email protected]