I have a secret to tell you. It is great getting old! At first blush, that sounds like a foolish statement. Who would want to anticipate the march of time towards a bitter and unknown end? That is the point, isn’t it? If you do not view your life as a grand journey, at any point in its trajectory, you are destined to be cursed and vilified by your failures, and tricked by your successes. We often hear that it is a short, unfulfilled life. This is patently not true. Too many souls have described the magnificence of life — my life if I so choose.
Why then would I want to color my consciousness with pain and foreboding? I attribute a lot of the current psychological ennui in our civilization to the Internet and the Age of Comparison. (1) If one is foolish enough to compare himself to another person, then there will always be someone smarter, richer, and more successful than me. Many leaders in history have lamented the fact that a distant Tsar had more wealth and power than they did. The kingdom of Midas quickly comes to mind. Wanting everything he touched turned to gold, he soon gilded and immobilized his own daughter. (2) There are many parallels we can draw to wealth in the modern age.
Even more telling is the tale of Croesus of Lydia who visited the Oracle at Delphi prior to his fateful battle with Cyrus the Great. (3) The seer prophesied that, if a clash resulted, a kingdom would be lost. Croesus, having the stronger dominion, understood this to be his opponent. History tells us that the Persians dealt a mighty blow and crushed, and subsequently annexed, the Maeonians into their Achaemenid Empire. (4)
So, how can we not get caught up in this nonsense of competition and aging? The secret begins with an appreciation and true understanding that I am unique! There is no one like me, never has been, and never will be. But, I must put in an effort to develop who I should be. The second suggestion is to buy a notebook and to begin to document time — my time. Record each and every event that has occurred during your lifetime — the funny and the tragic — to pass them on to future generations. The only way we truly learn is by teaching ourselves, but we must be exposed to the wise old sages, mustn’t we? These are those, such as our grandparents, who have lived real lives and still live within us through our blood and tradition. Therefore, the secret of age is simply to be uncovered. How far back one pulls the shroud covering this knowledge is up to each individual’s effort at self-discovery. Franz Kafka (5) leaves us with a thought: Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.
A closing thought: There is a trend towards youth and against aging. This is to be expected. As long as the aged do not value their lives and fail to contribute to the amelioration of society, this ageism (6) will continue. The old must stand up contribute and be counted. Never retire — it is a death sentence!
To sum up: This week, we spoke about the gift of aging.
To be noted: From Gertrude Stein (7) — We are always the same age inside.
Just for fun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK8FB2eZE9A&list=RDzK8FB2eZE9A&start_radio=1&t=297s
For reflection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cabN4yE2fZo&t=11s
This week, on your pensive walk, please reflect on what the journey of age means to to you.
Every day look for something magical and beautiful.
Don’t be a wage slave – critical thinking is great!
Quote: The horizon is always in the distance.
Footnotes:
1) https://medium.com/thefreshwrites/building-self-confidence-in-the-age-of-comparison-1ee4166e2e0e
2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn8YGPZdCvA&t=29s
3) https://mused.com/stories/973/the-fatal-prophecy-the-oracle-and-the-fall-of-lydia/
4) https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/persian-empire/
5) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4LyzhkDNBM&t=14s
6) https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/ageing-ageism