ATOM feed
Dorothy Carnegie wrote the book “Don’t Grow Old, Grow Up”, back in 1956, when I was 11 years old. I have had the book for many years, I ‘won’ it as a prize in a course I was doing at the time. I rediscovered it in a ‘yet-to-read’ pile a short time ago, needless to say the title caught my eye and I thought lets take a look and see what she had to say back then...
From the flyleaf of the book:
“In an age which has glorified youth in movies, TV shows, books and magazine articles, many people fear growing old. They are concerned that they will no longer be attractive, useful, productive as they mature.
Dorothy Carnegie refuses to accept this. She says: “the very phrase ‘growing old’ is a contradiction. Old age sets in only when there is no longer any growth of mind or personality. As long as we are learning, developing, contributing, producing or enjoying, we are maturing. We become old when we are no longer capable of improving regardless of calendar years.”
and on the opening pages:
My sentiments exactly! Dorothy, if you are watching - just look at us now!“Economically and socially, our national accent is on youth. The secret dream of every woman is to look twenty-five forever. The saleswoman's most potent adjective is "youthful." Our advertising is based to a great extent on the common desire to look, act and feel young. Men may not display this desire as openly as do women, but they are equally concerned with retaining their youth. Every golf course is loaded with its week-end quota of forty-plus laddies in perspiring pursuit of the lost waistline of their twenties-and they are as diet-conscious as their wives.”
“I hope that the ideas expressed in the following pages will offer a substitute for the popular let's-stay-young philosophy.
I would like to see the time come when qualities of mind and spirit are considered as glamorous and desirable as an unlined face or resilient muscle tone; when to be considered mature and wise brings more pleasure than to be told we look ten years younger; and when nobody is ever considered by himself or others to be too old for anything he feels capable or desirous of doing...”Dorothy Carnegie
E P Dutton June 1956 0525094555
3 Comments
Della,
despite the slightly off-putting title, that book does seem to have some important stuff to offer. I can't believe that was written in 1956, 'way ahead of its time, don't you agree? Yep, happiness is where it's at.
Sounds like a sales manual.
Peter, all the Carnegie stuff was very like that - created to help people have confidence in their ability to 'sell'. Whatever the product - it was sales organisations that mostly took-up and sent their people along for the courses. At least in 'my' day it was. It was also very interesting for me - this was in the late eighties and I was a black woman doing this fancy-pants management course run mostly for and by men, as most things still were, in those days.
Val - Yes I was surprised too, putting the content to the period... I'll keep reading, and share anything else that looks interesting..
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