We’re still living with the old paradigm of age as an arch. That’s the old metaphor: You’re born, you peak at midlife and decline into decrepitude.

Source: "Life's Third Act." TEDxWomen 2011. Dec. 2011. Conference Presentation. Additional Information: This quote is from Jane Fonda's 2011 TED Talk about new ways to think about aging. Says Fonda, we are living an average of 34 years longer than our great grandparents did. However, our culture has not yet come to terms with what this means, and we are still thinking of aging in terms of the arch metaphor -- age as pathology. Fonda goes on to say that a more appropriate metaphor for aging is that of a staircase, in which we ascend into wisdom and enlightenment as time progresses. Watch the full TED Talk here: Jane Fonda - Life's Third Act

“Life’s Third Act.” TEDxWomen 2011. Dec. 2011. Conference Presentation.