I have been waiting for my birthday to get here so I could share something special I learned recently. But first a bit of background. Several years ago I read that the elderly should not let themselves lose self-esteem bacause they were aging, because nature had a way of eradicating that which was no longer useful to the species. Therefore the elderly must be useful in some way for the survival of the species even though they were past the child bearing years. I didn't dwell on it, just assuming that older people must be the bearers of wisdom, and went about hoping to someday meet a wise older person. I don't know what I thought wisdom was, something boring like a dry sermon in a church with hard seats on a hot Sunday.
Then I recently watched a documentary on positive psychology. It seems that the elderly are much more likely to be in the habit of laughing, of looking at the glass as half full instead of half empty,able to look at a problem as something to solve rather than a hopeless burden, than younger generations. Each decade, this study shows, tends to be more positive than the one just younger.
At last I knew! I am old now (sort of) but I have Dragon Energy, magic within, because I have sense enough to laugh, to question, to expect magic, to be willing to work for solutions. So if you are older than anybody else realize you are a role model as well.(Everybody is older than somebody else--so listen up) Pass joy to those around you and behind you. It keeps the race going.
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Another thing older folks can contribute is a better perspective for seeing trends.
ReplyDeletePolitical correctness conventions change, for example. About 25 years ago it was common to hear people say, "It doesn't matter what you believe as long as you're sincere."
That platitude was instantly deleted from our repertoir at about 9 a.m., Sept. 11, 2001. Suddenly everyone understood that what one believes matters a whole lot. Who could be more sincere than a terrorist? His sincerity, however, does not make his beliefs true. Neither does it make them impotent. They are powerfully destructive. Truth matters, because basing decisions upon truth gives us the power to work with reality.
Back to the perspective that comes with age: Sometimes platitudes become popular just because they sound good. We can examine whether or not they are good representations of reality. We can apply our critical thinking skills to platitudes. We can, but sometimes it seems that only those with a few years under their belts have the wisdom to do so.