Routinely when I’m writing feature-length articles I include the ages of subjects mentioned in the stories. An age helps better identify people, showing, for example, how long they may have been engaged in a career. And like a middle initial, it helps distinguish them from other people with the same name, especially if it’s a common name such as Jeff Smith or Ben Jones.
But lately I’ve had three sources, all of them involved in Christian ministry, ask me not to print their ages. They all seemed embarrassed at the number of years they had been around.
A woman in her 50s who heads a mission agency begged me not to list her age. She indicated that somehow it would hurt her donor base if people found out.
A pastor in his 50s likewise told me that including his age in an article could hinder his outreach to young people who might not think he is as relevant as he tries to be.
And a filmmaker in his 40s insisted I excise his age from the article. If anyone in the movie business found out how old he really is it would be curtains for his career.
These excuses all seemed a bit over the top, a strange mixture of vanity and fear. I suspect this apprehension of telling our age comes from a culture that glorifies youth. We’re told if we’re not youthful enough we’re not useful.
I don’t think the Lord wants us to be ashamed of our age — or the natural aging process. No hair dye for me, thanks.
Good for you...I am not afraid to tell my age, I'm proud I've made it this far. I've waited a long time for people to take me seriously. Not that they do now, but maybe a little more likely. I do dye my hair however because I look better. My natural hair color was red and now it's blah and white. I still have a red-head complexion. I really have though of going al la natural, but I don't know how to get through the awkward stage. Oh well, guess it will stay red for a while longer. Age 56.
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