In praise of old age

Nobody wants to grow old, but everybody grows old. Growing old is a strange process. It is so strange that we cannot believe how we grow old so fast. Although you greet others 'You look the same', none of us retain our good looks.

Do not be surprised if you meet a one-time Romeo sans teeth and hair at a public function. His body has shrunk beyond recognition. He is hard of hearing and carries a walking stick to move about. He drags his feet as if he is wearing leaden slippers.

Although we can observe such changes in old people, we do not know what is going on in their minds. Some of them may be feeling young at heart. They may still have the hopes and fears of youth. However, they know that they will never be young again.

Stendhal

When does old age begin? Do we reach old age at 45, 50 or 60? Most people believe that old age begins at 60. Whatever that may be, people have always tried to postpone old age or escape from it. Old people keep on telling themselves that they are mentally alert and physically fit. Some old people climb mountains, swim across rivers or take part in sports as a way of testing their bodily and mental prowess.

You may not see the transition from youth to old age among your friends and colleagues. This is because you meet them very often. This is something like autumn following summer. The transformation is so gradual that you will not observe any major change. However, if you meet one of your friends after a long time, you at once notice his grey beard and wrinkles on his face.

Although the process of growing old is not visible in a normal healthy person this may not be so in the case of someone who is sick or unhappy. For them old age comes like a storm, devastating their good looks. When somebody is growing old gracefully, we usually say, "She is marvellous" or "He looks dignified with his grey hair". We admire their physical looks, activities, skills and the sparkle in their eyes.

Signs of approaching old age worry us most of the time. But this need not be so. One day, the philosopher Stendhal wrote, "I'll soon be fifty" on his trouser belt. Then he made a careful list of the women he had loved. When he was in love, he crystallized every woman and saw none of their defects. Now he does not place much emphasis on emotions.

Many old people think that they have not achieved anything worthwhile during their lives. They feel that there are some more apples to pick. There is a nagging feeling that they could have done better in their examinations, careers and personal relationships. A friend of mine who was in his nineties confessed, "Only if I had another ten years to read all the books I have collected".

The real trouble with old age is not your grey beard or wrinkles. It is not the weakening of the body that matters, but the indifference of the soul. Unknown to many, it may be possible to retain some of your good looks even after 60. You can still have the curiosity and zest of a youth. You can still love another human being or an animal whole-heartedly. If you have faith in yourself, you will harness the resources necessary for your conquests.

With your long years of experience, now you can see the moral perfection or lack of it in others. Now you know that violence and arrogance do not pay in human affairs. But if you begin to think of the futility of fostering a friendship or improving your own knowledge through academic pursuits, one day you will ask yourself, "What's the use of living?" Remember, this process of reasoning will open the portals of death!

With the great strides of civilization, old people are now in control in many fields of activities. If you are knowledgeable, mature in judgement and sober in habits, you will command respect from others. In certain areas you cannot do without old people. For instance, the Government has decided to recall retired English teachers to teach the language in schools. Meanwhile, old people can be seen holding important posts both in the State and private sector.

When you reach 80, you have experienced love, marriage, separation, divorce, ambition, frustration and what not. Now you should have no fear of death because the play you are watching is coming to an end. The actors are leaving the stage. So, you too have to leave the theatre!