A New Narrative for a New Era: Why CENIE Speaks Today of Longevity
Without a shift in narrative, there can be no lasting cultural change. In this third installment of The CENIE Logbook, we explore why rethinking how we speak about longevity is the first step toward transforming how we live it.
Every transformation begins with how we tell our story. There is no structural change without a narrative shift to sustain, inspire, and explain it. For decades, speaking of aging was a way to anticipate the future. Today, that future is no longer on its way—it is here, and it compels us to name it with new words and see it with new eyes.
At CENIE, we have come to understand that if we want to help build fairer, more inclusive, and longevity-ready societies, the first step is to examine our own language. Because this is not merely about updating terminology, but about transforming the frameworks through which we think, communicate, and act. If we believe in the need for a new narrative around longevity, how could we not start with ourselves?
From Aging to Longevity: Not Just a Matter of Style
The language we use is never neutral. It shapes what we see, what we prioritize, and even what we believe is possible. For too long, the discourse around aging has been rooted—albeit often unintentionally—in a reductionist vision: as a stage, a decline, a burden, a “problem” to be managed. That narrative, despite some evolution, still revolves around what is lacking, what is lost, what must be fixed.
Speaking of longevity, by contrast, shifts the focus. It does not deny needs or vulnerabilities but opens up a broader horizon. It invites us to think about the full life course, about transitions, about contributions. It pushes us to ask not only how many years we live, but how, with whom, with what purpose, and with what rights. And it reminds us that living longer is, above all, a civilizational achievement—not a logistical issue.
Longevity as a Transformative Phenomenon
By placing longevity at the heart of our institutional narrative, we are not merely adopting a new term: we are reshaping our understanding of reality. The focus is no longer on a specific age group, but on a structural transformation that affects all of society. Because longevity is not an individual phenomenon—it is a new social condition.
What if the problem isn’t old age, but the way we talk about it?
This means rethinking how we organize time, work, learning, social protection, and intergenerational bonds. It means reimagining education, architecture, urban design, public policy, and even the very idea of citizenship. And above all, it means building new forms of relationship between ages. Not as isolated compartments, but as diverse life paths that intersect and enrich one another.
Telling the Story Differently to Live Differently
The decision to renew CENIE’s institutional narrative does not stem from fashion or communication strategy. It arises from a process of listening, critical reflection, ethical conviction, and coherence with our mission. If we aim to influence how societies understand and manage longevity, we must begin with how we name it.
That means revisiting our sections, our texts, our priorities. It means creating language that is fairer, more precise, and more capable of capturing the complexity of the world we inhabit. It also means moving beyond a view centered on chronological age, toward a deeper understanding of life trajectories, contexts, capacities, and opportunities.
To speak of longevity societies, of healthy life expectancy, of the longevity economy, is not merely to change labels. It is to reorder thought, to open new questions, to invite new answers. It is to declare that CENIE does not simply describe what is happening—it seeks to help shape what could be.
A Transformation That Begins at Home
This article is not just an explanation. It is also an invitation—to those who follow us, collaborate with us, and feel part of this conversation. We want to share this process, make it visible, and offer it as an example of something greater: the possibility of building, together, a different narrative for a different time.
We know that stories are not imposed—they are woven. And a new narrative around longevity will not come from a single voice, but from many. We need philosophers and caregivers, economists and neighbors, urban planners and retirees, young people and health professionals. We need plurality, listening, imagination, rigor, and care.
From The CENIE Logbook, a space we nurture with intention, we want to help pave the way for these new stories. And what better way to begin than by telling our own. Because if there’s one thing we’ve learned in this process, it’s that every transformation begins with how we tell our story.