There’s a saying about how youth is wasted on the young. When I heard this for the first time, I didn’t quite get it (I do now). When we get older we see all the opportunities and the good fortune the young people have, good health, lots of energy, innocence, optimism, etc.; which is probably why society idolizes young people – they’re strong, they’re optimistic and they’re beautiful. As youths we mostly focus on our limitations, problems and challenges (at least I did), and they seem overwhelming. Alas – youth is wasted on the young… We don’t appreciate it when we have it!
The problem with a society which idolizes youth becomes obvious once we’re past it, because; let’s face it: we aren’t getting younger... We look around at the Idols of the world, and find no-one that promote values like compassion, wisdom, understanding, clarity, reflection, etc. (Ok, maybe a few…) It’s all supposed to be fast and passionate. The elderly are often considered a burden on society, instead of an asset.
Why is this? Old people have experience and have usually accumulated a bit of wisdom which a youngster might lack. Sadly, with a society that looks at them as “dead- weight” many loose their incentive and become just that. I admire people who manage to reach old age, without becoming tired cynics, still optimistic and thinking positively, believing in the value of life and love at the brink of the grave. This quality; which we have in abundance as young, many of us loose somewhere along the road. Later in life it starts to look naïve to us, and we smile a bit condescendingly at the charms of the adolescent.
Sitting here at the peak of my life, having my youth lain out behind me and having (hopefully) a long stretch of getting older and wiser ahead of me, I wonder: Could life be wasted on the living? Like with the youth not appreciating their youth, we humans aren’t so good at truly appreciating our lives. We take it for granted most of the time, don’t we? Well, here I am living my life, wondering what the point of it all is. It is still beyond my comprehension, and sometimes I get the feeling that I am blindfolded and trying to find my path in a dungeon of confusion. Other times I get a glimpse of meaningfulness or a speck of insight into how things are connected, and it makes my soul soar. But, I can’t put it in my pocket. It keeps slipping away, back into the dungeon, where most of life is going on.
The big waste would be thinking that what goes on in the dungeon is: the real thing.
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6 comments:
Glad to have you back, Miss Attica!
I see you're pondering on a deep issue. Funnily enough; today I was asked by a friend's brother why I liked the American Indian culture the way I do, and I responded that I liked the aspect of having a group of elders to turn to, the way they do ... later I saw your post.
Good Luck with your ponderings, and thank you for sharing!
K
Thank you too K. Nice to have you as a reader! :-) Funny with these "coincidences".
I love the depth in this.
I don't think many thinking people have not struggled with wondering if it is all worth it. We work and fight our way into middle age to then be faced with the infirmities of old age.
I don't know that there is an answer as it just is. All we can do is try to keep ourselves in the present moment as much as we can and seek out the joys offered, regardless how small.
Namaste'
Roger
Great comment as usual, thanks!
I see you haven't been around in awhile so this comment may fall on deaf ears. Just want to say I enjoyed this post, found it stimulating and very well-written.
Thanks! I'm still around, but busy with other projects for now!
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