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Over the past millennia a significant aspect of human strivings has been characterized by the quest for everlasting life and, perhaps even more so, for the essence of eternal youth. Since the nature of the supernatural, and of the gods, reflects human projections and idealizations, it is not surprising that even the gods of Olympus, to maintain their immortality, had to be fed nectar and ambrosia by Hebe, goddess of eternal youth. Similarly, in other cultures (Aztec, Mayan, Canaan, etc.) human and/or animal sacrifices were used to maintain the gods. The wish for eternal youth may have implied immortality, which led to searches for the fountain of youth (Yearout, 1976). It is thus not surprising that during the past millennia when the human life span was short, longevity has been wished and prayed for. Elders, so rare in every society, have been revered, esteemed, sought out for their wisdom, and acknowledged for their leadership. In the Western world, at the beginning of the twentieth century (and this still is true in the Third World today), men on the average lived up to 45 years and women up to 46 years, provided the latter did not die much earlier in childbirth or of its complications. At present, the life span for men and women is in the seventies, and going up. Paradoxically, in the announcements about the growing proportion of the graying population, there is a note of concern that there might be too many seniors.
These facts and the current prevalent fear of aging seem like a contradiction. Why are people so fearful to admit to their age? Why do women, even more so than men, hide their years with the help of cosmetic art and with “lifts” to every part of their bodies just to maintain a “youthful appearance” even when one can no longer hold on to youth? Why does one so often