Barbie, Benjamin Button and time

The iconic hourglass figure that has captured the hearts and minds of pre-pubescent girls all over the world, creating fantasies of the ideal female form, has come a long way. Barbie turns 50 this year, yet she has never aged, not even a bit, through the transition of time.

Little girls can’t wait to grow up, and dream of that fuller body with the finest waistline. Likewise, little boys imagine muscles and moustache before their debut. Once we reach that age of adulthood, the fruits of sexuality transport us to a world where women throw glances and men flirt; that make us take chances.

We want to look good, feel great and enjoy the moment before the glory of its time fleets away. Then, as the front digits of our age increase with each page of the calendar being torn, every attempt is made to freeze the Barbie, or at least the whimsy of it, in the mirror. Even Simon Cowell, from the famed American Idol, admits he uses Botox to ‘take care’ of himself.

Do we wonder why this is so? Why don’t we long to be children forever? Why doesn’t the other end of wisdom with years attract us to lock it in? Why are we all, men and women alike, allured by the things that offer us a sip from that fountain of eternal youth and beauty?

Perhaps, the answer can be found in a scene from “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” where the lead actress sees Benjamin at the climax of his youth; ideal in stature, with firmness of skin, brimming with energy and everything else that comes with it. She stands amazed at the man who was born old but is slowly reversing into youth, and says, “Look at you…You’re perfect.”

Yes, PERFECTION is the word. Somehow, innately, we seem to be wired in with a desire for perfection. As children, we are yet to be fully developed physically and mentally. We are told that we need to grow up, meaning we are still ‘imperfect’. During teens, we know there’s more to come. We strive to achieve that ideal stage of physical growth and attractiveness, financial security, possession of money and wealth, with the ability to run around and do whatever we wish - in early adulthood. To us, that is the pinnacle of life; the picturesque of perfection. We know that isn’t going to last forever, and whatever contradictorily follows, we consider ‘degeneration’ - a process we attempt to minimize, if not eliminate altogether.

If we ever had a choice, would we choose to be Benjamin Button – start elderly, get younger each day and die as an infant? Probably not, because everyone else is heading the other direction – the walk would be way too lonely. But if there were truly a way to seal youth forever, do we really want it?

As humans, we are never satisfied. If we look for something, once we find it, we are happy for a while. Then boredom sets in over time, and the search begins once more. Maybe it’s the quest that keeps us going – the search for the ultimate perfection that is impossible to find and sustain eternally in our earthly beings. The path that some find in cosmetic surgery, age defying costumes or accessories, ever-productive activities, financial security, persons or companions, or others find in God.

While it is highly advocated to aspire for the best in life – longings manifested in working out to feel fit and look younger, healthy eating to preserve bodily functions, earning to live better, making up to hide those wrinkles and flaws, and enjoying compliments that tell us we still ‘have it’ – we need to remember that time has its purpose. A reason in every stage, an aim in every age, a story in every page.

Physical charm and strength; they grow fainter by the days. Wealth and possessions; we can’t take them to our grave. But the attitude of the heart is something nothing in this world can take away – to aim for the paramount but balance it with contentment of what we already have. We have full control over it, despite all circumstances. The physical heart might deteriorate, but its spirit will never age. Its beauty will withstand the test of time, if only we choose it to be so.