Some thoughts for the over 60s
James Aremu-Cole
1. What is age anyway? Age is just a 1 to 3-digit number (1-100+) that different societies associate certain characteristics with. While figures and numbers are objectives, ‘age’ itself is subjective. Some individuals feel ‘old’ at 30, while others are ‘young’ at 80. What is considered old in one society is different in another. For example, while the current US president and Speaker of the House are 80 and 82 years old respectively, a 70-year-old is considered too ‘old’ for politics in Nigeria.
2. Spirit is ageless, and you are a spirit. You have a mind or soul and live in a body. While the body’s components deteriorate and slow down with age, the spirit is ageless because it is one with God’s spirit. It is a subset of God’s. Also, spiritual values like love, joy, faith, meekness, etc. do not grow old. Therefore, if you live a spirit-controlled life, then the most important part of you will remain young.
3. Do not fear old age because whatever you fear or expect will inevitably happen. Job 3:25 says ‘the thing which I greatly feared has come upon me.’ and Proverbs 23:7 says, ‘as he thinks in his heart, so is he.’ These are cosmic laws that are valid for everyone, everywhere, every time, and in every situation. If you fear physical or mental deterioration, that is exactly what will happen to you.
4. Old age, in itself does not destroy the creative power of the mind and body. Instead, creativity increases with age because you have acquired a greater depth of practical wisdom for solutions to life’s issues. Disdain and utter disregard for age-acquired wisdom is manifesting negatively in many societies today. Google and other information banks are no substitute for age. While googling supplies information, it takes wisdom to transform that information into practical benefits.
5. Old age is not synonymous with the end of you as a human. Rather, see it as the beginning of another phase of life that you have never experienced before. That professors are allowed to stay in their positions longer than others is a direct confirmation of the value of age and experience. Grey hair is an asset that society wastes at its peril.
6. ‘Retirement’ needs not to mean mental atrophy and decay. Instead, see retirement as the beginning of new opportunities and challenges. Therefore, don’t keep saying to yourself or others: “I am retired.’ It is bad enough to be tired; adding the word ‘re’ or ‘again’ to it is worse and can send the mind and body into a tailspin of debility. Remember that the name you call anything is what it becomes to you. ‘Whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.’ (Gen. 2:19.)
7. Don’t let others like employers, organizations, or society tell you what you can or cannot do because of your age. Rather self-employ your mind and keep busy. Learn something new, develop an interest in some hobby, do something in your power to benefit humanity, start a charity or volunteer for one, etc. Many employers foolishly shut out experiences that could benefit them., but that’s their business, not yours.
8. You grow old only when you lose interest in life, cease to dream, and explore opportunities. When you expose yourself to new ideas and concepts, your mind is renewed. Do you know how frequently some cells of your body are being renewed? Skin cells are renewed every 3 -4 weeks, colon cells every 4 days, Red Blood cells (RBC) for 4 months, and white blood cells (WBC) are renewed about every year. Except for neurons and brain cells that last a lifetime, most of the cells in the body are no more than a year old in calendar age. So the calendar age of your body is about a year. Think of that for a moment.
9. You can accomplish more at 90 than at 60 or 40 because accumulate wisdom and experience every living moment of your life. You obviously should be wiser at 90 than at 50, and what you have experienced cannot be inexperienced. It’s like a broken egg that cannot be put back again. You cannot un-experience your experience unless there has been a brain accident.
10. Define yourself or else others will define you as it pleases them. Astute politicians know this, and so should you. Don’t let society dictate what you can and cannot do. You determine what you see. Don’t let society show you a declining individual in life’s mirror. When society says: ‘See the old man in the mirror, your reply should be: ‘No! I see a dynamic and progressive mind’. What you see is what you get and become. You can be forever young. It is up to you. Be blessed.