Why you shouldn't be afraid of growing old, with Carl Honoré

author of the best-selling book "Éloge de la Lenteur", published by Marabout.

Carl Honoré Journalist and representative of the Slow Movement

Our guest this morning asks why aging is so frightening, and what can be done about it? Why can't some people enjoy this extra life - when they're in good health, of course - and take advantage of it to create, to love, to build empathetic relationships with others, to move around more?

And then, what's the point of lamenting the inexorable old age that takes possession of us, lucky as we are to still be alive every morning?

Ali Rebeihi talks to Carl Honoré, author of the worldwide bestseller Éloge de la Lenteur. In his new book, "The Longevity Revolution", he explains why, as we age, we hold all the cards to become the person we should always have been.

Extracts from the interview

Carl Honoré: "The main thesis of my new book is that growing old is a privilege rather than a punishment. I came to this survey with a deeply negative and pejorative perception of the aging process. I was ashamed and afraid. I wanted to know if there was another story to tell about aging... and spoiler: there is a very good story to tell!"

Ageism, a societal problem

"The problem is that society always sends us the message that we have to stay young, and that the goal of life is to look young, not to look our age, and so on. And I find that ageist. The main message of my book is that chronological age should lose its power to define and limit us. Once we start saying "You look younger, more...", we get into this toxic game of putting ourselves in boxes. My goal is to get people out of that box so they can define what it means to be 52, 32, 72, because it's different for everyone."

"The idea of growing old is basically like a straitjacket: you find yourself com

Accepting a new chapter in life

"There's an old Woody Allen joke that goes 'I like getting old because the alternative was even worse'. And deep down, that's what it's all about, isn't it?"

Christophe André: "These stories of ageing require us to accept that age is here to stay, that our bodies are ageing, and then also to reconvert: to rethink what comes next from a joyful angle. We're lucky to still be around. »

Ikigai, an essential Japanese concept

Carl Honoré: "Ikigai is the idea of having a purpose in life, something that drives you and gives you the strength to get on with your day, every morning.

One of the things that really surprised me when I did my survey was that I had this vision in my head that people in their sixties were depressed, sad - kind of the perception we have in culture. But if you look at the studies, it's quite the opposite: in fact, over the course of a lifetime, happiness follows a U-shaped curve. We're very happy as children, then we go down around forty and then it goes up again".

Aging is a natural part of life. However, with the constant media bombardment of youth and beauty, it can be difficult to see the benefits of this phase. Carl Honoré, renowned author and advocate of the "slow" movement, shows us why we shouldn't fear aging, the first and most obvious reason to celebrate aging is experience. With the years comes wisdom, a better understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Experience is a priceless asset, impossible to buy or replace.