08/08/2019
Excerpt on aging gracefully from "Dust Thou Art" by Stew Fisher:
Aging Gracefully
I’m not sure I will ever master the art of aging gracefully. Perhaps you feel the same way. After all, what’s good about getting your first pair of reading glasses, feeling those aches and pains in the morning, doing endless sit ups but still having that paunch you can’t seem to get rid of, or having a person’s name on the tip of your tongue but not being able to recall it? I could go on, but rather than drive us all further into depression, I’ll stop there. (If, however, you would like to add to the list, don’t let me stand in the way of your masochistic pleasure.)
As I said, I’m certainly not an expert on aging gracefully. But I think we could all agree that getting older is probably better than the alternative. So what follows are some of my thoughts and strategies that might make the journey a little easier for both of us. But be warned, this is new philosophical territory for me, so I’m winging it as I go.
First of all, if life on earth were our only reason for being, then logically, its approaching end should depress us. But God has another destiny in store for all of mankind. It is a place beyond our wildest dreams. The human mind cannot even begin to fathom what heaven must be like — and it will last forever!
In the grand scheme of things, our time on earth isn’t even the blink of an eye compared to all eternity. In fact, when you consider that our own solar system is a “mere” 4.5 billion years old, the human life span is even more insignificant.
Consider that the Himalayas are a young mountain range and still growing at the rate of a quarter inch a year. At over 29,000 feet, think how long they’ve been pushing their peaks toward the heavens. And as I said, they are mere infants compared to other mountain ranges of the world. If we can’t even grasp the immensity of geological time, measured in billions of years, how can we possibly grasp eternity!
Think of a single ant whose sole task is to pick up one grain of sand from a beach on the west coast of the United States , carry it all the way across the country, and drop it on an east coast beach. He then repeats this task, one grain of sand at a time, until all the sand is transferred from the west coast to the east coast. The time that would take does not even scratch the surface of eternity. Even if you asked him to transfer all of the sand of all of the world’s beaches, you’d still be no closer to measuring the concept of “forever.”
It’s all a matter of perspective. If life on earth is so short compared to infinite joy with God for all eternity, what good does it do to focus on something so insignificant? Now granted, we usually fail to keep this idea foremost in our minds, but if we can reflect on it more often, growing old is much less troubling.
The humorous saying, “Too soon old, too late smart,” rings true for a lot of us. But hopefully, in our time on the planet, we have gained a bit of wisdom. We’ve learned not to “sweat the small stuff” and to keep things in perspective. And during those years, with any luck, we’ve discovered another secret to aging gracefully: Learning should never stop.
And as we get older, we now have more freedom to pursue knowledge that satisfies our curiosity rather than a curriculum of mind-numbing courses we endured to get our degrees. Learning new and challenging things sharpens the mind and keeps us young. It also adds to our store of wisdom. The human mind has an uncanny and remarkable ability to take this knowledge and weave it into interesting connections and novel ideas. While we used to think that the brain stopped making new neural pathways as we got older, science now tells us that’s not true. Our brains stop growing and age only if we let them age!
Another bit of good news is that our bodies still respond to vigorous exercise and can remain amazingly fit even as we get older. Eighty-year-old men and women who were put on weight training programs late in life, even if they had never lifted weights before, made remarkable gains in strength and flexibility. It appears that the saying, “use it or lose it,” is true when it comes to the human body as well.
Maintaining a strong connection to family and friends plays a huge role in aging gracefully. In many cultures, elders are revered for their wisdom and knowledge — and treated with utmost respect. This has a powerful effect on longevity by increasing a sense of belonging, fulfillment, and happiness. Statistics show that older people living in isolation, who never have family or friends to visit them, are not as healthy and vibrant as those seniors with close relationships. They die much sooner — and far less happy!
Having a sense of humor also helps us age gracefully. People who can’t laugh at themselves or find humor in the human condition won’t live as long as those with “light hearts.” Now scientists are telling us why. Laughter releases a flood of endorphins in the brain, lowers the blood pressure, and relieves stress. It’s simply good for the soul.
Having a purpose in life and being directed outwardly promotes long life, happiness, and fulfillment. An interesting phenomenon occurs when we do this: By being focused on others’ needs before our own, we ourselves also benefit from that selflessness. Doctor Viktor Frankl, author of the wonderful book, Man’s Search for Meaning, would call this “transcendence,” going beyond our own selfish interests for the sake of others. To Frankl, this is the highest state of human fulfillment.
I think a lot of aging gracefully has to do with letting go. When we cling to the things of this world such as money, youth, power, prestige, and material possessions, we lose sight of what’s important and why we are here. God tries to remind us, “Remember, Man, thou art dust, and into dust thou shalt return.” We came into the world with nothing; we will leave with nothing. But we keep forgetting that.
Our destiny is not found here on earth; it is something a whole lot better. And it will last forever. When we remember that and the more important things in life — family and friends, service to others, learning, having a sense of humor, staying mentally and physically fit — getting older becomes merely a stepping stone toward our ultimate destination.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1940145287/?tag=signalpublis-20
From the Foreword written by Coach John Wooden: "In his latest book, Stew explores the soul-searching questions man has asked since he first walked upright and goes on to examine his relationship to a loving God. It is a deep and insightful look at what it means to be human and why we are here. H...
