Wisdom in Living in the Golden Years
Getting old is not for everyone-not the faint of heart.
As a matter of fact, it is difficult for anyone who does not have the wisdom of living in the golden years.
The golden years generally refer to senior years, that is, the time for those who are 65 years old and beyond.
The term "golden" may not seem appropriate to many, especially many seniors are experiencing physical, mental, and emotional frailty, as well as undergoing adversities due to changes in circumstances, losses and bereavements of loved ones.
It is never easy to stay positive and optimistic as you continue to age.
It is even harder to see any light at the end of the dark tunnel ahead, which inevitably leads to more deterioration and ultimately death.
So, how to live well in the golden years? It requires much wisdom, especially the ancient wisdom, rather than the conventional wisdom in living.
Many people erroneously believe that to live well in their senior years is to have plenty of money so that they can have a perpetual holiday of traveling, playing golf, shopping, or doing their favorite things.
Unfortunately, all these will sooner or later taper off or come to an abrupt end due to changes in circumstances, such as failing health, mental incapacity, or physical immobility.
To live well as you continue to age means having the capability to cope with the inevitable changes in life, as well as the willingness to accept and embrace all the changes for personal discovery and transformation.
The first prerequisite is self-belief.
As you continue to age, it is easy to gradually lose the self-belief: that is, becoming the stereotype of being "old and decrepit.
" You have to start believing in yourself again: that you can still make waves, and that there is much you can do with the rest of your life even with the little that you may now have or available to you.
Self-belief also means you stop comparing yourself with others in terms of past achievement-or even comparing your current health conditions with those in your past.
Any comparison will only lead to regret and "what-if" negative thinking.
Self-belief means doing your best with whatever you may still have or no matter what.
Once have self-belief, you will begin to set some life goals to make your life purposeful even in the latter half of your life.
You set life goals not only in your younger years, but also, more importantly, in your golden years.
A meaningless life is not a life well lived, no matter at what stage in your life.
The wisdom in living is to live in the NOW.
It is easy to cherish good memories of the past or project expectations into the future.
But the past was already gone, and the future is still unknown.
Living in the past or worrying about the future is not wisdom in living.
The present is what is "real" to you, so live it to the fullest.
According to the ancient wisdom of Lao Tzu (the ancient sage from China, who was the author of the famous "Tao Te Ching" which has been translated into many different languages worldwide), living in the present prepares you to let go the ego, and all its clutters.
Now in your senior years, it is important to let go the ego because it enables you to focus more on others than on yourself, and thus instrumental in developing your compassion and loving-kindness for others.
In addition, to let go the ego paves the way to letting go all material things, including past and present emotional clutters, such as personal grudges against those who hurt you in the past, as well as emotional bag and baggage you have been carrying with you over the years.
Not letting go is the source of human miseries.
To let go the ego also prepares you for simplicity living without much fanfare.
Remember, as you continue to age, you also begin to lose your memory.
The material things you have been collecting all you life will sooner or later mean little or nothing to you when your memory deteriorates further.
Follow the wisdom of Lao Tzu to let go the ego to let go of everything in life in order to prepare you for simplicity living.
Therefore, it is important to eat simple, dress simple, and live simple.
Simplicity living helps you not only preserve your memory for longer, but also prioritize what is now the most important in your life.
That said, there is no blueprint for wisdom in living in the golden years.
The explanation is that everyone's life is unique with individualized life experiences, and the perceptions of those experiences are also unique.
Your awareness of how you distill those experiences holds the key to developing your own wisdom in living in the golden years.
Stephen Lau Copyright © Stephen Lau
As a matter of fact, it is difficult for anyone who does not have the wisdom of living in the golden years.
The golden years generally refer to senior years, that is, the time for those who are 65 years old and beyond.
The term "golden" may not seem appropriate to many, especially many seniors are experiencing physical, mental, and emotional frailty, as well as undergoing adversities due to changes in circumstances, losses and bereavements of loved ones.
It is never easy to stay positive and optimistic as you continue to age.
It is even harder to see any light at the end of the dark tunnel ahead, which inevitably leads to more deterioration and ultimately death.
So, how to live well in the golden years? It requires much wisdom, especially the ancient wisdom, rather than the conventional wisdom in living.
Many people erroneously believe that to live well in their senior years is to have plenty of money so that they can have a perpetual holiday of traveling, playing golf, shopping, or doing their favorite things.
Unfortunately, all these will sooner or later taper off or come to an abrupt end due to changes in circumstances, such as failing health, mental incapacity, or physical immobility.
To live well as you continue to age means having the capability to cope with the inevitable changes in life, as well as the willingness to accept and embrace all the changes for personal discovery and transformation.
The first prerequisite is self-belief.
As you continue to age, it is easy to gradually lose the self-belief: that is, becoming the stereotype of being "old and decrepit.
" You have to start believing in yourself again: that you can still make waves, and that there is much you can do with the rest of your life even with the little that you may now have or available to you.
Self-belief also means you stop comparing yourself with others in terms of past achievement-or even comparing your current health conditions with those in your past.
Any comparison will only lead to regret and "what-if" negative thinking.
Self-belief means doing your best with whatever you may still have or no matter what.
Once have self-belief, you will begin to set some life goals to make your life purposeful even in the latter half of your life.
You set life goals not only in your younger years, but also, more importantly, in your golden years.
A meaningless life is not a life well lived, no matter at what stage in your life.
The wisdom in living is to live in the NOW.
It is easy to cherish good memories of the past or project expectations into the future.
But the past was already gone, and the future is still unknown.
Living in the past or worrying about the future is not wisdom in living.
The present is what is "real" to you, so live it to the fullest.
According to the ancient wisdom of Lao Tzu (the ancient sage from China, who was the author of the famous "Tao Te Ching" which has been translated into many different languages worldwide), living in the present prepares you to let go the ego, and all its clutters.
Now in your senior years, it is important to let go the ego because it enables you to focus more on others than on yourself, and thus instrumental in developing your compassion and loving-kindness for others.
In addition, to let go the ego paves the way to letting go all material things, including past and present emotional clutters, such as personal grudges against those who hurt you in the past, as well as emotional bag and baggage you have been carrying with you over the years.
Not letting go is the source of human miseries.
To let go the ego also prepares you for simplicity living without much fanfare.
Remember, as you continue to age, you also begin to lose your memory.
The material things you have been collecting all you life will sooner or later mean little or nothing to you when your memory deteriorates further.
Follow the wisdom of Lao Tzu to let go the ego to let go of everything in life in order to prepare you for simplicity living.
Therefore, it is important to eat simple, dress simple, and live simple.
Simplicity living helps you not only preserve your memory for longer, but also prioritize what is now the most important in your life.
That said, there is no blueprint for wisdom in living in the golden years.
The explanation is that everyone's life is unique with individualized life experiences, and the perceptions of those experiences are also unique.
Your awareness of how you distill those experiences holds the key to developing your own wisdom in living in the golden years.
Stephen Lau Copyright © Stephen Lau
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