Christopher Columbus, quite remarkably, was not the first European to set foot on the mainland of the Americas. That title goes arguably to Ponce de Leon. (1) In the apocrypha associated with his voyages, he was tasked with searching for the mythical Fountain of Youth. (2) This concept was first introduced into Western thought by the historian, Herodotus, (3) though its pedigree is certainly much older:
“The Fish-eaters then, in turn, asking of the Ethiopians their length of life and diet, said that most of them attained to a hundred and twenty years, and some even to more; their food was roast meat and their drink milk. The spies showed wonder at the tale of years; whereon one led them, it is said, to a spring, whereby by washing wherein they grew sleeker, as though it were of oil; and it smelt as it were of violets. So frail, the spies said, was this water that nothing would float on it, neither wood nor anything lighter than wood, but all sank to the bottom. If this water be truly such as they say, it is likely that their constant use of it makes people long-lived.” (4)
The idea has had a pejorative effect on the idea of aging in my estimation. It has created the concept of physical maturity as a disease requiring treatment, as opposed to an exceptional endowment to be nurtured and celebrated. “Weren’t you ever afraid to grow old?” I asked. “Mitch I embrace aging.” “Embrace it!” “It’s very simple. As you grow you learn more. If you stayed at twenty-two, you would always be as ignorant as you were at twenty-two. Aging is not decay, you know. It’s growth. It’s more than the negative that you’re going to die, it is also the positive that you understand you’re going to die, and that you live a better life because of it.” (5)
The next time you are confronted with the statement, “If I were your age again, I would … you fill in the blanks. Though one must be kind, it is still necessary to assert that you can’t be twenty again. As Julius Caesar told us as he crossed the Rubicon: (6) “The die has been cast,” meaning your life has been gambled. You have spent the only thing you have ever truly possessed: your time. If you have spent it well: great! If not, there is nothing that can be done. Regrets are pointless! You cannot change the past; you can only realize the present and dictate to the future.
For young people, however, it is very hard to give my words value. They mostly “fall on deaf ears,” and so they should: a disproportionate amount of the elderly, baring those with physical maladies or the like, has simply given up on life. They see little to no value in exercise, healthy eating, and weight control. They cannot support the thesis that with age you can still retain your health and yet increase your sagacity. Respect has to be earned in any epoch, especially in the Internet Age – the generation of everything. I am the ultimate optimist, though. The Millennials and post-Millennials have the intellectual and physical tools to make adulthood the adventure that it is supposed to be. The philosopher Plato (427-346 B.C.) leaves us with a thought: He who is of a calm and happy nature will hardly feel the pressure of age, but to him who is of an opposite disposition; youth and age are equally a burden.
A closing thought: There is one aspect of time that does change with age, nonetheless. That is your sense of pure gratitude when you awaken in the morning. If you believe as I do, and many also do, then you appreciate that each day is another opportunity to push your particular mission a little further down the path of time. You humbly realize that it is an honor and an obligation to be given life.
To sum up: This week, we spoke about the mythical Fountain of Youth and how its concept has made us laud youth over agedness, producing a great disadvantage to the society.
A philosophical question: Why does your belt break when you are wearing your loosest pants?
Just for fun – Bon Jovi
This week, as you awaken, make a point of feeling your temple – your body. Is it physically where you want it to be?
Every day look for something magical and beautiful.
Quote: The mind is the ultimate peacemaker.
Footnotes:
3) Herodotus
4) Histories, Herodotus: Book III (ISBN 9-780-6749-913-30)
6) Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom (ISBN 978-0-385-49649-0)