A friend sent this piece on aging, written by an author unknown to me:
“Do you know what the hardest thing about growing old is?
What?
You become invisible.
As long as you’re young, you’re someone: beautiful, charming, charismatic, strong… or at least noticed.
But then all of that fades.
And you become “the old man” in the worn-out jacket, or “the lady” in the faded coat and hat.
It’s as if you’re not really there anymore. You turn transparent.”
Whilst this may be one perspective, in my piece today I would like to offer another…
The Sacred Gift of Aging
I AM INFINITE SOURCE LOVE IN HUMAN EXPERIENCE
Embracing the Duality of Life
While aging certainly has its challenges, we live in a dualistic world, where every perspective holds its counterbalance, its equal and opposite so to speak. Let me offer the upside of growing older.
From Invisibility to Inner Vision
Yes, in certain cultures, one may begin to feel invisible. But this invisibility is a sacred invitation: an opportunity to see, maybe for the first time, our own old need for external recognition and validation. This subtle need, born out of ignorance, has haunted the Western human experience for decades, perhaps even centuries.
The Ego’s Soft Dissolution
Aging invites us to uncover, discover and to recognize what is more real and more valuable than the ego’s endless search for external approval. The ego, which served a purpose in our youth, becomes increasingly irrelevant with time. It has always looked outward for its sense of value and meaning. But, as we enter the afternoon of life, that external search begins to bring the personality, the ego, some unwanted pain and suffering.
The Grace of Interdependence
One of the gifts of aging lies in letting go of the ego’s mantra – “I can do it myself”. Asking for help, whilst diminishing the ego, allows others the grace of service. The ego may well resist this, clinging to its illusion of independence and self-sufficiency. Yet in surrendering, we awaken to a great and liberating truth: all life is interdependent. Look to nature. Look to the forest. See how every life-form thrives in synergy and co-dependence when left in its natural state. Look at most indigenous cultures, and see how they organise in communities of interdependence and cooperation.
From Human “Doing” to Divine Being
In the morning of life, we may have only valued ourselves as human “doings” placing over-valued worth in appearances, achievements and acquisitions. Even our failures may have shaped our sense of self, albeit a painful one. All of it has fed the illusion of separation.
The Shift from Time to Presence
Aging is a sacred stripping away of all that we are not, giving us the opportunity to see who we truly are, beyond time. In order to avoid suffering, we can shift our perception, from time to presence. While the ego needs time to exist, you, the eternal you, does not. You are unconditioned consciousness energy, which can neither be created nor die.
The egoic mind knows itself only through time (past and future) as well as form, and yet the timeless essence of presence contains within this moment the treasure our hearts have always been seeking. When we call off the search, when we stop chasing future, or looking back with regret or nostalgia to the past, we discover an unspoken stillness. Peace, joy, love, and true spiritual connection have always been here and now, waiting patiently for our home-coming.
The Wisdom of the Oak
Look at a young sapling – its beauty undeniable. Then gaze upon an old oak tree, and witness the richness, the depth, the magnificence that age bestows. So do not mourn your youth. Rather celebrate the depth and wisdom of life now. Celebrate simplicity, rather than complexity. Value stillness over noise. Peace over need and desire.
Spring may dazzle with its promise of what’s to come, but autumn holds a richness undreamt of by the innocence of spring. The aged oak carries a depth of life, a wisdom undreamt of by the youthful sapling. So, celebrate right where you are now. Let the light of presence shine through your eyes, illuminating all that you see, with a vision of kindness and gratitude. Behold the sacredness of Now.
Postscript: A Call to Remember
Only in modern societies is aging seen as a disease. Only in modern cultures are the elderly locked away, isolated, made to feel useless and unappreciated. Have we, in the so-called Western world, lost our soul? Have we forgotten the interdependence and sacred connectivity of all life? Have we lost sight of how every thread in the tapestry holds equal value and purpose to the whole?
Now is the time to remember. To reclaim and truly value our soul-essence. Now is the time to awaken to who and what we truly are. And can we who are older, perhaps lead the way – shining the light of our true essence as a beacon for others to admire and follow?