Why does desire in general fade for most when one gets old? Does it have to? Can you sustain it? Is it something that rusts because of disuse?

I know there are elderly people that have healthy sex lives, but it seems more common for sex and the desire to be with someone sexually to be something that becomes unimportant when one is in their autumn years. I wonder if it's pure coincidence that keeps you fucking when you're 70+, or if it's more due to a concerted effort to keep that part of you always alive? It's times when I'm thinking about these sorts of things I wish I knew some very frank older folks who could give me their perspective.

I saw an Australian film a few months ago called "Innocence." It was about an elderly woman, basically trapped in a passionless marriage, who meets a man she'd been in love with 50 years earlier. They begin an affair, picking up, almost, where they left off. Their affair was filled not only with tenderness, but with plenty of sex, too. While a little melodramatic and sad at times, I found the film somewhat of a comfort too. Perhaps it mainly appealed to the romantic side of me (which I try to keep hidden away most of the time) .

Posted by: My Secret Life As A Former Prostitute at 3:28 PM

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