I met an old American man today as I was waiting for the shuttle to get back to USC from ISI. He had been to India when the British were still there. He talked about a young kid and his sister who were his guide in Calcutta (now Kolkata). He liked the journey up the Ganges on a ship. I asked him how he could communicate with his young Indian (most probably tribal) guides. He said, "Well, they could say some pigeon English, but then, you got to do what you gotta do !". :)
So true.
It was my first time talking to such an old American man. He was using a walking stick that seemed more like a golf club to me. Jovial and happy. I am often scared of old age, but meeting these men makes me feel happy. After all, you got to do what you gotta do, which might be living happily whatever you are. :)
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A summary of my thoughts.
1 comment:
Happiness in old age comes from several factors...
-Fear of the unknown lost....often man is unhappy because he is scared of the future, but old age is a phase you might pretty much have seen everything and started to believe that "there is nothing left that I can't take. I have been there, done that."
-Belief that things sooner or later work out for the good.When we are young, this concept is hard to grasp and when things don't go our way, little do we have the wisdom or courage to look beyond what "we think" is good for us. We fret, fight and sulk ....but with age we learn that making the best of what we have can turn our lives towards better and positive directions.It might ultimately do us good if we try to make things work for us instead of sulking "why do all the bad things happen to me alone?"
-Satisfaction of having lived every moment... people who are happy in their old age are often those who were pretty notorious and outgoing in their youth. They must have tried new things, broken norms and eloped possibly ;)They usually have the contentment of having lived their lives their way.
The key is to make the best of what you have every moment. I believe nothing I learn or do is a waste. Sometime or the other in life a skill, an experience( however boring or bad it might seem) will help me in unexpected ways....and it does happen...
Remember you can connect the dots only looking backwards ??
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