Do you think most people get wiser as they age? Do you ever wish you were younger? Or would you not be willing to give up what you’ve gained/learned over the years?
Do you think most people get wiser as they age? Do you ever wish you were younger? Or would you not be willing to give up what you’ve gained/learned over the years?
My hope is that by looking after myself I can maintain some youthfulness and get some wisdom too.
I don’t know that it’s wisdom so much as life experience — they’re not necessarily the same thing.
If I were younger, I probably wouldn’t have the same degree of freedom to do what I want. On the other hand, I’d have more time ahead of me.
Evan,
That’s a great reason for taking care of ourselves, so we have a chance to profit from our life experiences. 😀
Mike,
It seems to me wisdom is what we learn from our life experiences. It would be nice to stay healthy for a good long time, but I wouldn’t want to be younger if I had to give up what I’ve learned and integrated into my life.
Jean, I fail to see what the trade off is: Wisdom vs youth.
I very much agree with Mike about that most important distinction between “wisdom” and “life experience”. The two do not go necessarily hand in hand. I know youngsters, not least my son and some of his friends, who leave me speechless at their wisdom on 19 year old shoulders. They put me to shame. Where the hell have I been all these years? Why do they know things at their age it took me decades to even get an inkling? I am not kidding you. It’s true. I equally shake my head at some of the calcified who pride themselves on something they do not possess. Anyway, how does one measure “wisdom”? It’s an innate quality to be found in some and not in others, regardless of age.
U
Ursula,
I agree some people have a lot more sense when they’re young than others do. And I know a lot of older people who aren’t very wise at all. But I think people with sense when they’re young do gain more wisdom as time goes on and their lives become richer.
At 68, here I am. Not much of a story. About the same as any three score plus man who outgrows both his wildness and his ideals. And finds himself in a situation almost by accident. Finds out that his youthful dreams can’t stand the mass of weight, life loads on them. In general human beings seem able to afford almost any luxury except ideals. I guess next to children, ideals are about the most expensive luxury there is. I call the compromise necessary to live a stress free life as wisdom. Not very original, but search as I may, I have not find a better one to suit my condition.
Rummuser,
So what were your youthful dreams? My purpose of life was clearly more modest than yours, but it’s worked well for me. Well worth devoting my life to. The crocodiles haven’t gotten me yet. 😀
Jean, there are no two ways about it: Ramana needs cheering up. Urgently. Here, and on his own blog, he currently seems a little down in the mouth.
I do not wish to disillusion you but the way I look at it is that should a hungry crocodile come down my swamp it won’t be interested in the slightest how much of my life I enjoyed or how much joy I gave others. Which is fine. I understand. Basic needs – like hunger – to be stilled first.
U
Jean, just be a little patient. We shall carry this forward after my Friday LBC post is published.
Ursula,
You don’t understand the crocodile reference. It cracks me up whenever I think of it.
Yes, Ramana is down in the mouth, but I’m not in a position to find him a new love of his life. That’s why I suggested his siblings start helping. (In a comment on my last post at Transforming Stress he implied that finding a new love would do the trick.) Hope you don’t feel jilted.
I sometimes think I’d like to unlearn all the nasty things I’ve discovered about other people and the depths of human depravity. But then if I hadn’t learnt about all that, I would be so innocent I wouldn’t last very long.
Ursula and Rummuser,
Of course, then there’s the question: which is more apt to have serious side effects, falling in love or taking Prozac?
nick,
Have you not also learned about the more positive things about people? Life is a mixed bag.
I’m afraid that some of my wisdom has to stay hidden…as I find that way of thinking completely upsets the most stable person in the world. I don’t quite think like everyone else and hence it’s usually easier not to “reveal” exactly what I’m thinking and knowing
Nor do I act like someone my age…most people think I’m in my 40s!!
I have got used to people getting the “wrong messages” from me to a point when someone asks me “why are you doing that?” I say “because I can”
I was so sure that Uni/higher education was going to challenge me in a certain sort of way – but it didn’t. Often I thought I had to “dumb” down to some preceived way…but hey I will be getting my degree certificate!
Now I’m working on a new challenge and I’m having such a fun time with it although I haven’t gotten much sleep as I wake up in the small hours with an idea that then needs more research 🙂
So to finish – I have just decided to put the volume up on my old stereo – it’s still only late afternoon here!! So I’m not keeping anyone from dreamland….:-)
or as you have sometimes seen me write “it depends”
Cathy,
I can certainly relate to going through periods when a project is just too much fun to sleep.
I’m wondering how many other people feel they’re too different to reveal themselves to others. Apparently some of the healthiest people either have a lot of social contacts or else are eccentrics that do their own thing and don’t worry about what other people think. I think the eccentrics are the more interesting.
i always wanted to be italian when i was growing up… and as a young adult. i was a polite new england preppy wasp. but
i wanted to be “out there.” to let go of the awful control, the must be a lady always. the reverence for TRADITION.
i tired of always being the thoughtful, wise one. i wanted to be a zelda. (well… maybe not zelda. she after all wound up in an asylum!) but … she mostly lived for and in the moment.
oh, i know. . . to be like a katherine hepburn. now there was a happy eccentric.
am i wise? do i value wisdom? sometimes. not always. and yes i value it. but one can be too cerebral. now i am eccentric.
and i’m also finding out now… that i just wanna have fun!!!
whoa… just saw how that looks! “just wanna have fun?!!!”
you have to understand… my idea of fun is enjoying a delicous croissant and coffee in the morning, then getting lost in a wonderful book, then in the autumn (if it ever comes again) taking long walks in the mist or cool weather…
just a boring, semi-wise old gal that enjoys the simple life!
and wise enough to know that the joy is life itself and not material at all.
cheers and hugs,
tammy j
I like your attitude Tammy – “semi-wise old gal that enjoys the simple life”
Yet again another conversation with a different person this time about “money”
Her: “I have more than enough money to do anything I want including doing up the house. But I don’t need to really”
Me: “I have enough money as well, but not for doing up a house, or in my case taking a holiday overseas”
Her: “I guess you’ve right, we both have enough money for the basics in life…”
Of course, our bank balances are going to be totally at opposite ends of the
basic numbers…but I’m more or less ok with that. Sometimes I would like to have more money which would mean I wouldn’t need to necessarily have a savings account for emergencies but would I be any happier. I don’t believe “her” is all that happy AND her house could do with a major overhaul!!
But we all have choices and we make them as we see fit depending on the way we chose to live our respective lives 🙂 🙂
tammy,
I love the simple pleasures too. Thank you again for telling me about Angus and Wilf. No Davy Crockett adventures or drugs for me. 😀
i love coming to your site. it’s like having coffee with a bunch of friends!
i’m not a tweeter or facebook person…
so this is just nice.
cheers everyone!
tammyj
tammy,
That’s the kind of blogging and interaction I like too. Thank you so much for coming by. 🙂