Is this the secret of how not to grow old?

I joined in on a Linkedin discussion group dealing with the issue of employer attitudes towards candidates with 30+ years of experience. Plenty of people had lots to say.

My contribution to the debate being  "...as an "old un" I'd suggest that we can argue the competency side quite well. The skills and experience are there, but like it or not our "chemistry" has altered. .....and we need to demonstrate equal if not greater levels of desire and appetite than the young guys."  I was quite pleased with that!
Predictably the consensus was  - yes there is resistance by employers... which is to their detriment as mature candidates have so much to offer.
As I read the replies I found one by a Dr James Motter. And if OnWeGo was to award Fellowships I would ask James to accept one. This extract from his CV could be his citation.  I am now 75. I still run my own show. I did a PhD in business adminstration at 59, a Masters in Philosophy at 64....  In my spare time I am an adjuct professor for MBAs at one University and I teach Business Research to MBAs at another. I was the Senior Researcher in Applied Accountancy at a large University in 2000/1.

What James exemplifies is the enthusiasm and the appetite to keep going, keep learning and improving, and to keep endeavouring to improve the ability of others.  The true spirit of OnWeGo!
And very much one of the themes of a recent showing of BBC Horizon's  Don't grow old!
What especially delighted me was the section that showed the benefits of not retiring; with amazing examples of centenarians in one study at Boston University School of Medicine. It shows how an active and usefully engaged mind will "over-ride" the pathelogical ageing process. Apparently it generates something called cognitive reserve.
Also in the programme, Dr Ellen Langer at Harvard University talks about her experiment where a group of 75 year olds were taken back 20 years in time. Their environment was recreated as was their lifestyle and they had to do things for themselves as they would have when they were 55. There were amazing improvements in physical ability, cognitive ability and IQ. Dr Langer reasoned with strong evidence that people will respond to how they are treated. Treat people as old and dependent and they will behave accordingly.

Which takes me back to James Motter and the other reason he would qualify for OnWeGo Fellowship.  In response to my "Rock on James!" reply to his original post he said "my grand-kids think I'm a cool dude....but dad's not seen the same way though!"

I replied "Yes James....me too!"   Adding "My philosophy is to live the life my grand-kids celebrate... and not the danger-to-himself one that my daughter's fret over!" 
 So stop telling us to act our age....and that may stop us ever reaching it!!!