WITH AGE COMES WISDOM – OR DOES IT?

I’ve learned, with age, something happens with the world-view of some of us. Age affects all of us, but as a life-long student of human behavior who has long lived in a world of “why’s” (as in, “Why did he say that?” or “Why did she react to that?”), I’ve come to some conclusions about some things related to aging. I’ll share 3 of them here:

1. INACTIVE MINDS. Some who grow old allow their minds to stay as inactive as their bodies. The effect is atrophy of the mind. Thoughts are locked in place, rattling around, waiting to be reused. Nothing new rolls around. Their thinking is, to use a cliche’, stodgy and bereft of vision–moldy thoughts that eventually become encrusted in place, unable to even roll around.

2. CLOSED MINDS. Some who grow old refuse to close their minds down and, though the body slows down, they continue to work the mind. These minds think new thoughts, grow ideas, push themselves to discover new things and remain curious about the world around them, always inquiring, always questioning. In short, they keep acquiring knowledge. Amongst that set is a rarer group that steps outside their “comfort zone” and actually study things that ordinarily, they’d have no interest in studying, but perhaps because of world events, force themselves to acquire a some knowledge and understanding. All of these people typically go to the end of life, or near, very alert  and much more able to appreciate the presence loving farewells of their loved ones.

3. LAZY MINDS. Some who grow old are incapable of growing in wisdom, with their age. The reasons are many, but mostly it has to do with a laziness grown to habit during their life-span. They have acquired some wisdom, if for no other reason than the proverbial brick wall and its propensity to bring mental alarms that echo through the mind and causes a person to proceed with caution, or to change direction. But, there exists some older folks who have acquired a huge measure of wisdom. You sense it when you meet them and spend a little time talking with them. You realize there’s a depth to them that isn’t in others you’ve met their age. They see patterns in life the young (and those who managed to escape the blessings of wisdom) cannot see. They see actions and are able to acquire a reasonable understanding of the net result of those actions. They interpret life through the glasses they’ve regularly polished and had adjusted over the years.

Sadly, far too many of these wise, older folks are passing off the scene. They leave us almost unnoticed. Worse, far too many of them go through their lives a wasted asset, without an outlet to disperse their wisdom. People around them far less wise than them, fail to tap into the reservoir of wisdom they hold.

So, if you’re a young person (if you’re under 60 you’re a “youngster”), begin incorporating habits into your life that will bring wisdom as you age. Time is running out. Keep your mind active. Keep your mind open to new things, new facts and ideas,  and open to the fact that you might be wrong on something, or you might be able to expand your understanding of what you think you know. You will find life a lot more interesting. You’ll find books are still interesting and  entertaining when you turn 80; and you’ll not have to bribe your grandkids for their stash of comic books. Finally,  find ways to disburse that wisdom to those around you, a bit here and a bit there. Some will pick up the crumbs, some will not, and some will see them as food for the birds.

But, you’ll pass on with a smile, knowing that you left a bread trail that some will follow.

And wisdom knows that sometimes, that’s enough.

Copyright 2020 Voyle A Glover