The Fear Of Growing Old

The Fear of Growing Old

It was one cold winter morning. I was walking with a friend of mine when she said, out of the blue, “You know, I feel apprehensive of the years ahead of me, of the path I would tread. I see so many people frustrated, bored as they advance in age. They seem to me that they are stuck and don’t know what direction their life will take. At times I wonder will I also feel the same when I grow older.”

Her words completely took me by surprise. I had never thought that a woman like her who was in mid thirties, so dynamic, vibrant, with a well paying job and a lovely family could harbour thoughts like these. At that moment I thought why are we so obsessed with youth? Why are we so scared of getting old?

The only problem area I can think of is ourselves. We fail to realise that with each advancing year we gain new wisdom and experience, which we can never achieve in our earlier years.  With each successive year added on to our life we are given the precious gift of time. We should develop a positive attitude and live a reasonably healthy life.

Irrespective of the age – be it thirty or sixty- it should be our endeavour to make the most of it. In each individual lies a potential which is beyond imagination. It is just  waiting to be harnessed. One needs to understand that life doesn’t need to become monotonous on approaching mid life stages. The future years can be a time of transformations. Earlier, we are so tied up with family, kids that we hardly ever get the time to do what we wanted. With the children stretching towards independence, one need to be prepared to take up new challenges in life. Each individual has strengths and abilities which are trembling to be born.

Each and every state of matter is in  a continually changing state. Mountains wear away, rivers change their courses, glaciers keep shifting, generations come and go, each and every cell in our body is being replaced with a new one. Nothing is static, why do we want to resist it. We do better when we accept the changes occurring in our life and join the flow of life. By resisting change and clinging on to the old ways we would be slipping backwards in a continuously changing world.

It is impossible to say that we have achieved the pinnacle of our journey. There is always scope to learn more. One can continue to grow as long as one lives. We need to unfold the magic, talents, power and the genius that exist within each one of us. Its important to remember that growth is not a destination but it is an ongoing  journey till our last breath.

The words of Kahlil Gibran stay stuck in my mind, wherein he says “The soul unfolds itself like a lotus of countless petals.

The first thought that comes in our mind is from where to begin. Let’s start making small changes in our lives which in turn triggers more changes. It has a cascading effect. It’s all about accepting changes and gracefully moving on in life. Why defy something when it is inadvertent…

People do not grow old.

When they cease to grow,

They become old

-Emerson