What do you think gets better with age?

An aged brain armed with experience and enthusiasm, zeal and vigour of youth makes wonders. Before this, aged people must also think and embrace changes wholeheartedly. They need to remember that they had also been in the same phase of life and wanted no or few boundaries.

He always admires watching the setting sun. As the large circular solar disc descends below the horizon, its colour gradually changes from tangerine to crimson and ultimately to a pinkish red. It scatters its light, making the sky look stunningly beautiful. Often, he admires the setting sun for hours, sometimes until the sun finally vanishes, leaving a trail of various blends of red and pink hues on the azure sky.

The sun sets so it can return the next morning with renewed vigour and fresh energy. It brings hope and optimism without a hint of pessimism or negativity.  Whenever he watches natural drama and the play of colours, he thinks about many things. While watching the spectacular celestial happening, he thought about the stages of life an organism goes through before ending its journey. He remembered how an energetic toddler gradually changed into a baby, then from a baby to a child, a teenager, a youth, a middle-aged person, and finally to an old person. As a person grows, changes occur in the body, posture, psyche, and behaviour according to the phases of life and experiences one gets. Experiences make a person mellowed down, and his actions are not as loud as the setting sun, which loses its blaze and heat considerably.

A toddler doesn’t know the consequences of catching smouldering coal. Attracted by its sheer colour, the baby tries to catch it and, if unguarded, harms himself. Though it sounds harsh, it is his first experience that teaches the baby that not everything that glitters is gold.

As people progress in life, they learn many lessons about the possible consequences of their actions in specific situations. The most crucial skill that develops over time is the ability to distinguish and separate bad things from good. It is the prudence of a person which helps in discerning a situation, person or happenings.

Like a setting sun, an aged person, shaped by hardships, brings joy to many who meet him or her. He remembered the day when he was wading through difficult times. Though had a job, the scanty money he received as wages was insufficient to meet ends, and many things had to be compromised or curtailed. An old mother-figure woman used to guide him with many of her suggestions. Her suggestions used to be apt and to the point. She would often converse with him in her frail, subdued voice and suggest many valuable things that helped him get out of the convoluted situations. The gentle woman used to live in his vicinity, a place which was sparsely inhabited with scanty civic amenities.

In his famous poem, William Shakespeare, while comparing old and youth, ridiculed the aged and upheld the youth. It was his assessment of things. He compared the aged to a winter morning, lifeless and barren. He writes:

“Crabbed age and youth cannot live together;

Youth is full of pleasance,

age is full of care;

Youth is like summer morn, age like winter weather…

-William Shakespeare

Until recently, aged persons were looked upon with disdain. They were treated as unproductive and useless individuals. Mostly, their siblings had an eye on their hard-earned money and properties they created. Soon after they procure it, the “family members” would start maltreating them, subjecting them to physical, mental and emotional torture. They used to be shifted to old-age homes, away from the house they constructed with their hard labour.

The time is changing fast.

Improved health facilities, awareness and the internal urge of aged persons to live decently have drastically changed their condition. Old age is gradually becoming a blessing, not a curse. Aged people are enjoying their second innings with comfort, confidence and without relying on anyone. They are comparatively more independent and contented.

Although age can lead to physical weakness and dependency, the mind remains active and often sharper than others. Ageing brings composure. Apart from medical problems, most aged persons have maturity and their decisions are almost flawless. Their experience makes them outstanding. They can be weak and physically unable to contribute actively, but their deep knowledge, fired by long experience, is beneficial to the younger generation. It was not out of the blue that aged persons were treated with utmost respect and their words were treated as commandments in antediluvian Indian society,

The most notable example is “Bhishma Pitamah” (Great Grandfather) of the epic “Mahabharata”. He was the one who was treated with utmost respect by both the “Kauravas” and the “Pandavas”. Though he fought against the “Pandavas” because of the oath he took to protect and get Matsygandha (lady with the smell of fish) as his father’s wife, his affection and love for them never faded. He was a prodigal personality who was indefeatable as he was an expert in warfare and archery. He told the “Pandavas” how to keep him away from the battle.

The experience makes a man sensitive to the impending difficulties. As an expert mariner, an experienced person can perceive a squall and take caution to minimise the damage, ways to control it and replenish losses.

While a young person is enthusiastic, energetic and capable of taking risks, an old man with a lot of experience is calm, composed and determined. The latter weighs the situation, considers every aspect and decides. An unhasty decision is prone to minimal risk and damage, and is long-lasting. Old age and accumulated experiences make people mellow and help them think with prudence. An aged person knows that all that glitters is not gold.

Educated or uneducated, the old person avoids unfruitful and useless confrontation. They avoid risk but are determined and steadfast. They prefer taking calculated risks. Once they make a decision, they go all out for its success. The wide spectrum of adversities, difficulties and impediments which they faced makes the old person almost foolproof. They can make a decision in any adverse situation.

Recently, India has seen a marvellous show of wit, courage and intrepidity during “Operation Sindoor“. Experienced and seasoned members of triservices joined heads, burned midnight oil and in collaboration with a determined and stiff political force, chalked out a plan that was successfully implemented; the enemy was annihilated. It was a show of perfect harmony between old and young minds.

The youth have power, vigour and enthusiasm. They think and act swiftly, and engage themselves wholeheartedly in the given task. The intrepid soldiers meticulously executed the plan and bravely fought the battle. They heavily fell upon the enemy and destroyed them by pinpointed attacks with deadly accuracy. 

From a toddler to a senescence, a person takes a journey. It is this period which makes them strong and resilient. Though they can be frail, armed with the wealth of experience, they can face the pressures of adverse situations. From the day a person becomes mature enough to comprehend things better and responsibly, the journey through the most difficult terrain starts.

In essence, aged people are mature, productive and an asset to society. They are caring and considerate. Everyone goes through this phase of life at a later point in time. Disregarding and belittling this phase is equivalent to belittling oneself. An aged brain armed with experience and enthusiasm, zeal and vigour of youth makes wonders. Before this, aged people must also think and embrace changes wholeheartedly. They are not competitors and need to remember their time when boundaries were impediments to them. They have to be considerate of youths and respect their views too. 

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