ABSTRACT
The exclusion of older persons is generally conceptualised as a problem of ‘ageism,’ successful ageing movement being its major counterargument. This chapter engages with a critical debate over successful ageing discourse which problematises selective exclusion of destitute, senile older persons, and argues that a philosophy of ‘inclusivity’ from the vantage point of ‘ageing’ should be capable of addressing unavoidable differences and asymmetries that are prevalent in actual human conditions. Put simply, the key concern of this chapter is about the nature of an inclusive society that adopts existential vulnerability and human transience as one of its fundamental values. The author specifically describes a residential institution for older persons in Sri Lanka, as a case to explore this idea. In particular, it examines interaction among residents and the dāna donors, as well as the end-of-life care practices where the staff figures at the centre. The novelty of the vision on ‘inclusivity’ emerging from the case study lies in demonstrating how mutuality was retained even in asymmetrical power relations. The mutuality was not prescribed; it was rather actualised as one nurtures and deepens sensibility to ‘the otherness within,’ of becoming something else while keeping track of oneself.
