Harry's story: Age is an asset
Harry has had a long career as a teacher and academic, and continues to work setting up his own publishing house.
Could you tell me a bit about yourself and what you do?
I'm 91 years old and I’m an academic, teacher and actively involved in community development and innovation through my membership of the executive of Lancaster Civic Vision. I write a lot and am setting up my own publishing house, Greaves Press, alongside the International Journal for the Philosophy of Ageing.
After starting my career as a secondary school teacher, I have been a university teacher, a visiting professor at two universities in the UK and one in Canada, a senior civil servant and a social entrepreneur. I have worked as a consultant and counsellor in several European countries, three major Commonwealth countries and in the US.
Have you found your age to be an asset or an obstacle?
For me, my age is an asset. Too often, we try to stop people from becoming older. But to me, becoming older is about having increased capabilities to do different things and remaining independent.
As I’ve become older I’ve stopped being so competitive, and I can now focus on collaborating with other people. At my age I’ve had a career and the focus isn’t about building it but sharing my expertise with others.
Does society need to change how it treats older people?
There needs to be a fundamental shift in how we treat older people away from condescension towards giving people autonomy. Organisations and individuals working with older people need to move away from domination and make sure that the people they work with have the freedom to take their lives in a path they choose.