Cultural Differences Between Age And Death

Age and death are defining factors in many cultures. From the beliefs of gods of death such as Hades and Osiris and a eternal afterlife to being considered wise because you were able to live for so long. Age and death are inevitable and seen from many different perspectives. Some cultures fear age because they know that with age comes death however many other cultures have made age something that is respectable. When humans were nomadic tribes that hunted and gathered its foods, elders were left behind because they could not help the tribes in a significant way. When we first started modernizing society by using more complex tools and materials, we started respecting elders more. This was because they were more experienced in the making of the tools, clothing and food. They were more experienced in socializing, so they were able to politicize with greater results. This is why we saw elders as the tribal leaders and as the

However because generally people think that older people cannot be as productive as younger people, many consider them a drag to society. This is ageism. Ageism is prejudice or discrimination against someone because of their age. Many people around the world suffer because of this. Company’s want younger people because they are able to easily use newer technology and connect with new clients easier. In most companies, salaries rise with worker age. Because younger workers are paid less, they are more attractive to employers. While ageism is considered bad, a capitalistic society encourages it. Survival of the fittest is a notion that falls under capitalism. The best educated will take the best jobs, the most creative will become the best artists and so forth. The ideals of our economy is one reason why there is less respect for our elders and because the whole world trying to modernize into a more capitalistic economy, respect for elders will drastically