In all cultures there has been respect and consideration for the elderly, especially when they reach old age. Historically, being old is synonymous with experience and wisdom, so their opinion has always been taken into account ("Of the old, the committee"). That is why it is surprising that nowadays old age is a stage that is undervalued in certain environments, despite the fact that the elderly have never been as active as they are today.

In contrast to the pessimistic view of old age as a time of limitations, it should be emphasized that it is also a time of new possibilities, especially considering that the 80 years of today are the 50 years of yesteryear. The new elderly are no longer old people dozing in a rocking chair, but active people.

New euphemisms are still being invented to avoid the word "old", as if it were something to hide. For example, third age, golden age, senior citizens, etc. Cicero used to say (from whom I have borrowed the degree scroll of this article) that "the old man cannot do what a young man does, but what he does is better".

This disregard for old age has been denounced by many authors, among them Massimo Petrini: "The place of the elderly in the community is not decided by them; on the contrary, it is the younger generations who assign to the elderly their place, the social conditions and their role, from agreement with the dominant value system in society. But society will only be able to integrate the elderly when it also learns to "live together" with them, instead of living next to them (...). The development of the personality does not stop at a certain age; the person "grows" throughout his life. Old age and aging are not an inevitable, fatal "existential void", accompanied by weariness, resignation or self-centered optimism; the elderly, as much of today's culture would seem to claim, do not survive by waiting for death; the elderly live".

The lack of consideration for the elderly can be observed in many situations. For example, in supermarkets they endure the same long lines as young people to buy their groceries; they are not given way even if they carry only one product; their frequent slowness and clumsiness in reaching the checkout counter and looking for coins often arouses the impatience of those who follow them (not their financial aid).

Cicero wrote in 44 B.C. "De senectute" (On Old Age), a essay in which he reflects on the last stage of life. The main argument for his apologia for old age has a moral basis: a good life in old age will come from a life of virtue in earlier stages, not from the intrinsic characteristics of old age: "The weapon best adapted as a strategy to combat old age is the exercise of human values; these produce astonishing fruits, they never abandon you, not even in the last part of life. Also because of the pleasantness of the awareness of a life well lived and the memory of many good deeds. Great deeds are not accomplished with the strength, speed or agility of the body, but with committee, prestige and judgment".

Old age (except in cases of disability or serious illness) can become a joyful stage, in which we can enjoy our fulfilled duties and do what we are passionate about. Happiness in old age comes from hope and faith, virtues that help us to look not to the past, but to the future, with the conviction that what is to come will be better.

Ingmar Bergman said that "growing old is like climbing a great mountain; as one climbs, one's strength diminishes, but one's gaze is freer and one's vision broader and more serene. This explains why changes are for some elderly people stimulating challenges and opportunities for cultural and spiritual growth, while for others they are a factor of regression.

The image of the elderly is improving a lot lately because of their dedication to the grandchildren who are left home alone after school. The conversion of key-children into grandchildren accompanied by their grandparents is mitigating their status of orphanhood, while changing the traditional passive role of grandparents. Will these generous and self-sacrificing grandparents be the seed of future families with more family life and, therefore, of a more humane and livable society?