Feb 23 Getting Older

For many people, fear of getting older is an obstacle to peace.
We spend a lot of effort trying to stay young – a doomed effort, of course, because we all get older.
Historically, we are an aberration. Other traditional cultures respect their elders for their wisdom and their accomplishments. Ancestors are honored and even worshiped.
I believe this is related to our preference for warriors. When we value winning over everything else, we admire strength. We value youth more than wisdom.
And so we get the youth-worshiping culture we have: shallow, short-sighted, with lots of muscle and little intellect. Immaturity makes headlines rather than being a cause for shame.
Even our food is more entertainment than nourishment. Our culture is like the movie “Home Alone”, where the adults are gone and we can do anything we want.
I am not an anthropologist and I don’t know this for certain. But I suspect that peaceful cultures have respect for their older members.
What if we looked at aging as a gift rather than a tragedy?
Today think of one thing you have learned from life that you didn’t know when you were younger.