So the little class was on "Turning What We Know Into Action in a Changing World".
How does an old person cope with a world that is changing more rapidly than it ever has in the known history of mankind?
How does an old person change "slowing down" into "speeding up" as opposed to "getting out of the way"?
I know there is a way, because I have a close friend who does it!
She is a social doer.
Not exactly a social butterfly (she isn't lithe and pretty or even able to locomote well) but she keeps herself extremely busy with the social affairs of town and country.
No minutes to pause and take a breath.
I know why she does it.
She told me why.
"I am NOT going to think about dying!"
So there!
Well, that works well until you have a stroke or something!
Actually, she did have a stroke.
She climbed out of that abyss faster than I thought possible.
She climbed out to get back to the social scene and volunteering.
She is NOT going to think about dying. She is NOT a poet. She is NOT a philosopher.
She is NOT going to think about dying. She is NOT a poet. She is NOT a philosopher.
We are surrounded by the death of others...should not that give us pause?
Pause and take a deep breath.
I personally draw the conclusion that we are supposed to think about death!
Once upon a time, we did think about death. People died at home.
"Wakes" were held at home.
Sit up with the deceased. Talk. Cry. Maybe have a little party.....close by the casket, not off at some social venue where death can be momentarily forgotten.
Awareness, keen awareness, that death is part of life and that the "departed" were not gone-gone, just gone. And the solemn thought that our day is coming.
Is it not in our best interest to have developed some internal coping skills so that we don't need to stay constantly engaged with entertainment to avoid thinking about death?
Now I am NOT judging!
After all, I turn thinking into entertainment all the time.
I take classes.
This little class said we turn what we know into action in this changing world
by knowing WHY we exist and by knowing WHAT we stand for.
Oh my stars!!! Am I in trouble!!
Why do I exist? I am no longer sure why I exist.
I still am sure, pretty sure, that I do exist.
Why is less clear these days.
I think it has something to do with "the whole" and little to do with "the me".
And why is what I stand for changing, growing, roping around, fraying, and becoming fluid??
Oh my stars!!! Am I in trouble!
Of course, people who have love do not ever wonder about why they exist.
They know the purpose of life.
Philosophers are love-lorn. It's true.
When I was young I knew easily why I existed.
I existed for LOVE and excitement and learning and adventure .....,,,,,,,,,,,,
and then I grew old,
and became a philosopher.
Thank you for your visit to the aging crazies.
Your visit means more than words can say.
Thanks, Riverwatch
