We need a new and positive narrative that defies the negativity

When Alexander De Croo declared, “We need a new and positive narrative that defies the negativity and transforms our ageing populations from a problem into an asset,” he was not merely speaking of demographics or politics, but of the deep wisdom of how a society values its people. His words remind us that age is not decay but experience, not weakness but memory, not burden but treasure. To shift the narrative is to shift the very soul of a nation, to see in the wrinkled face of the elder not the shadow of decline but the glow of a life lived, lessons learned, and strength refined.

The ancients knew this truth well. In Greece, the Gerousia, the council of elders, advised kings and guided the city, for wisdom was believed to grow with years. In many African tribes, the elders were the storytellers, carrying the traditions that kept the people rooted. In China, filial piety was the bedrock of harmony, honoring those who had walked before. In every culture where ageing populations were seen as an asset, civilizations flourished, grounded in continuity and strengthened by experience. De Croo’s words call us back to this ancient wisdom.

History gives us countless examples. Consider the life of Nelson Mandela, who, after long years in prison, emerged in his seventies to lead South Africa with dignity and forgiveness. Far from being a problem, his age was his strength — the long seasons of hardship had forged patience, resilience, and vision. His leadership revealed the truth of De Croo’s teaching: an older generation can be the pillar upon which new hope is built.

Yet the modern world often forgets this. In the race toward innovation and youth, societies are tempted to treat the old as obstacles, as weights slowing progress. Negativity whispers that ageing means loss, dependency, or obsolescence. But this is a lie born of short-sightedness. For every elder carries within them the wisdom of survival, the memory of mistakes avoided, the perspective that steadies rashness. To ignore these treasures is to cut off a people from its own roots.

At the heart of De Croo’s words lies a vision of transformation. To create a positive narrative is to redefine ageing not as a final chapter of decline but as a living library, an enduring strength. Just as a forest thrives when young trees grow alongside the deep-rooted elders, so too does a society thrive when youth brings energy and elders bring guidance. The two are not opposites but partners in the grand design of human community.

The lesson is clear: we must resist the negativity that sees only the costs of ageing, and instead embrace the opportunities. Older generations can mentor, guide, and inspire the young. They can serve as examples of endurance, models of resilience, and keepers of culture. A society that treats them as assets will not only honor its past but secure its future.

In practice, this means building communities where the old and young meet, where stories are exchanged, where respect flows both ways. It means policies that value the contribution of elders, workplaces that harness their skills, families that cherish their presence. Each of us must choose to see the elders around us not as burdens but as blessings, to listen to their stories, to walk with them, and to honor them.

Therefore, let us remember Alexander De Croo’s wisdom: a new and positive narrative is needed, one that transforms ageing from a problem into an asset. For the strength of a society lies not only in its youth but in its ability to honor and learn from those who have journeyed far before. If we embrace this, then our future will not be weakened by age, but strengthened by the timeless wisdom it carries.