Young at Heart

"What's the alternative"?

Have you heard people say:
"It's just part of getting old"
and then someone retorts saying:
"Yes, but it's better than the alternative."
All at once, my mind says,
"What's the alternative"?
I mean, this is classic for the English language to use sentence
structure
and phraseology in a way that supposedly "everybody knows"
what you mean&;#8230;
but taken literally, without context&;#8230;
WHAT DO THEY MEAN? Really?
So, I respond&;#8230;.
"Getting younger? What's wrong with that?
"NO! That's not the alternative!"
"Oh, I've got it! A vampire could bite you sentencing you to eternal
life
as the Undead?"
"NO! You silly! Death!
The alternative is death!"
Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?