SUCH TIMES…
We, men, are all born free. We, men, rarely do die free.
We cannot deny the fact that times have been changing. Where we are going, whether you be willing or not, we can hardly tell yet. But the band wagon has been on the move and so is the whole of Mankind. It does feel like a superbly great time to be awake and alive. Then we begin to think on what this may really mean and the enthusiasm dies slightly. Human kind is messed up and we cannot carry the same messiness forth. Honestly, we would not be moving in the first place.
Just the other day, I begun to really wonder at the importance of growing old. We have often looked at aging as a curse but surely if even snakes serve the eco-system then so does aging have a purpose. Then it hit me how once life has begun to materialize in the womb, the being consumes massive amounts of energy while undergoing rapid physical growth which slows down over the years till atrophy overcomes.
Now, even my perspective on atrophy has been changing. Like aging and death, we look at atrophy as we would Cerberus if he walked amongst men. See, decay is a very natural part of the system and it too does serve a purpose. Atrophy, as it turns out, does not destroy but rather facilitates the orderly freeing and therefore transmutation (changing forms) of energy. Same as death. But atrophy, although constant, is not noticeable to Man until old age sets in. If atrophy has co-existed with life all along, then there must be a balance to it yes?
Then it hit me that atrophy is constant but operates where energy is not actively engaged, cultivated, given and used. Atrophy, is felt the most, where non-movement/idleness of energy exists. Thus we find that people who remain active most of their lives, engaged in things they love and enjoy, tend to age more gracefully than most. The lifestyle they led adds to or takes away from this. Whatever the case, a man who is actively involved in living while being alive has found the idea. Yet as we grow further from conception, the energy we are consuming and converting into mechanical energy for growth reduces. Rather, the energy is being used less and less on physical changes but begins to be diverted into the internal. Thus after infancy and childhood, we enter adolescences where the growth is happening inside and in the psychological. This goes on until death but changes in intensity.
In previous times, pre-westernisation, much of this time was spent under apprenticeship where mental and psychological growth was happening. Of course the whole society took part in raising kids, usually by taking over the emotional, spiritual and therefore larger psychological growth of a child through their joined lifestyle. By the time they got to old age, these men and women were greater teaches than their own coz wisdom was passed down and added upon through generations. Here, they taught by way of practice therefore were never really idle. They also took part in musings, for their experiences have opened up their imagination making them and children perfect allies. They were the larger part of the philosophical and political sphere.
The archetype of the mage is often largely that of an older person. How come? The pre-modern lifestyle facilitated the growth and development of the mental, emotional, sexual and therefore psychological spheres of a man with aging. The old man did not grow senile but rather sharp and witted. They learnt to focus on the one part of them that continues to grow even after adulthood and that is the psycho-spiritual. Where we today regard our elders with disdain and even intolerance, they were revered for their accumulated psycho-spiritual growth.
In the modern day, and especially developing countries, we find that a cold war exists between the older generations and the younger ones. For one, many in the older generations feel the need to further emphasise their importance and we find the parliamentarians constantly changing retirement age. Who can blame them anyway, if retirement easily translates to feelings of uselessness, non-importance and disdain? Those of today’s generations cherish the aspect of working smart and not hard much. I am typing this on a laptop, there will be improved versions of this in years to come thus easier, quicker work. It developed in the years of my existence and though plentiful now, was just a dream and even an impossibility some decades ago. But the next generation must step in, for the cycles of life must keep moving.
Let us be honest, many only strive thinking and hoping to create a life post-retirement. And though many live decades thinking and saving for retirement, not many ever truly stop and think about what to do with those post-retirement years. Even when we know what we would love, we hardly ever stop to feel that which we intend to do. Old dogs seldom learn new tricks and this applies here. We have spent so many years giving away our time we hardly know how to be our own persons. Sometimes the years were spent making poor lifestyle choices, so we end up with the financial resource but lacking of physical/ mental/emotional wellbeing to pursue our desires. Most often, we are lacking of any spiritual life so we find ourselves beginning life as if we were preadolescents all over again, just 40 years later.
Old age offers to man the best of times but like everything else, we must be prepared. It comes with experiences, tenacity, confidence and even more. We have fallen and risen so many times already that we have known grace, beauty in struggle and ugliness in success. Not just financially, it must be prepared for and that means our adapted lifestyle in the 20’s. As decades add, we evolve and grow to be our best selves with the right mind-set. Otherwise we grow into our own biggest fears and enemies, combating many ailments and even more, depression or lost identities.
Well, old age is best for the perfection of psycho-spiritual maturity and what better time to do this than when we have entire decades till our next jubilee with nothing much to do?
