No Longer in Use? Guess Again

In a recent edition of The New York Times crossword puzzle, the clue for 54 Down read, “No longer in use.” The answer was a three-letter word, and the only thing I could come up with was “Off.”

Wrong-o. Or, should I say, Wrong-O.

Turns out the correct answer was, “OLD.”

Seriously?

I was absolutely incredulous. Gobsmacked. Outraged. Downright angry! Since when does “old” mean “no longer in use???”

Perhaps this answer hit me the wrong way because to me, society so often treats its older members just as it does other perceived “broken down” and/or “worn out” goods: as discards. Past their prime. Of no value. Done.

But that is not the case with people. The fact is people INCREASE in value over time because they acquire knowledge, experience, wisdom, and other important attributes that can help move society forward, address global problems, and provide thoughtful guidance and counsel through challenging times. Older people—especially those who are no longer employed full-time—can apply their time- and workplace-tested skills by filling in the gaps where society continues to struggle: as non-profit volunteers, foster grandparents, small business consultants, and AmeriCorps and/or Peace Corps members.

As is the case with the other systemic “isms” our world is only now beginning to come to grips with, systemic ageism has done considerable harm to our society. Not only has it demoralized and dismissed tens of millions of adults 65 and over simply because they were 65 and over—but it has robbed itself of the tremendous gifts those adults likely had to offer our world.

But it is not irreparable harm—as long as we learn from it. So to The New York Times and everyone else who wrongly believes that “no longer in use” is synonymous with “old,” take note. More accurate clues would actually be “experienced,” “wise,” “happy,” “ready and willing to learn,” “skilled,” “able to make a contribution,” and, perhaps most importantly, “STILL USEFUL.”