The increasing in human lifespan catches the attention of many people. Some argue that an aging population creates numerous problems for governments: health problems, labour and overpopulation. Conversely, some contend that elderly holds an unvaluable knowledge and can also act as a mentor or leader in society. This essay will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of having an aging population, and discusses about which one outweights the other.
The most noticable benefit from the longevity of people is that older generation holds an unvaluable knowledge and skills; they have broad range of experiences, both academic and non-academic, including soft skills, such as time management, stress handling, communication and leadership, which are very crucial in real life. However, the education system does not seem to focus much about these skills, so the younger generation, despite having a lot of academic achievements, without these skills, may have a hard time in the society, and that is the part where the elders can pass on their knowledge and skills to younger people. Their insights can elevate the community and create infinite of possibility.
On the other hand, due to the old age, they usually have worse health conditions compared to the average. The governments will need to allocate their resources into medical facilities and provide some financial help to them. Furthermore, the regressing physical health also leads to a lot of problems, but the most significant one is labour, especially in a field that requires brute force, such as construction and some factory. For example, my grandfather used to work in a shipping company, which required him to carry loads of packages; at first, there was not any problems, but the more he aged, the more he struggled to do the job.
In conclusion, although an aging problems may provide some benefits, for example, older people can teach and pass on their accumulated experiences to the younger generation, the drawbacks outweigh them. They require a lot of medical attention and their physical health, which is not in its best state, affects the overall workforce in many aspects.