Who really loves life is the one who allows himself to grow old
sophocles
We live in a society that reveres youth and strives unspeakably to preserve it, as if it were not just a learning stage. This world seems to be made by and for young adults and other age groups, such as children and the elderly, are increasingly relegated from public spaces, but also from family environments. We have turned a natural and beautiful process like aging into something unworthy that we should be ashamed of and that we need to postpone and hide.
Respecting and honoring the elderly is also respecting and honoring our own aging process, accepting that the stages end and embracing the future without fear and without complexes, knowing that the time lived is transformed into learning and wisdom. Here is a list of seven things that we can learn from older adults and that we undoubtedly need in our daily lives.
1. Be patient. The elderly know that impatience is a defect of youth and have learned to control anxiety and let life flow at its own pace. We definitely need a bit of that in our lives.
2. You don’t need most of the things you think you need.. When you have lived many years, you finally understand that most of what seemed essential to you was actually absolutely dispensable and what was truly important was always in front of you.
3. Spend more time with your family. When you ask an elder what they would do differently if they could live again, the answer is almost always to spend more time with the people they loved during their lifetime. What memories do you want to have at the end of your days? That’s what it is all about.
4. Tell your friends you love them.. The elderly have lost many important people and they know that the only way to cope is to be sure that these people knew how important they were to them.
5. Be kind to yourself. Don’t judge yourself so harshly, when you get older you’ll see that you weren’t as stupid/ugly/fat/incompetent as you always thought. Don’t waste your youth feeling insecure.
6. All your problems will look ridiculous one day.. One of the best lessons that seniors can teach us is that everything that worries us now will one day seem like a trifle. Remember: time heals everything.
7. Don’t be afraid to make a fool of yourself.. If you want to dance, dance; if you want to sing loud, sing. Never let fear stop you. Life is too short to worry about «how we look», you have to live it!
Also read: Age is no excuse for bad mood. Enjoy your life until the last moment