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| Saturday, July 15, 2000 |
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APROPOS of Khushwant Singh’s write-up "Lamenting old age" in the column "This above all" (July 1), nothing is more certain than the passage of time and changes that come with it in the form of ageing. We are all growing old each day and this contributes to the fear of old age in most of us. The fear of old age results mainly because of feelings of insecurity about one’s health and family ties. Loneliness is often associated with old age. Instead of apologetically referring to one’s self as being old when one reaches the age of 50 or 60, one must express gratitude for having reached the age of wisdom and understanding. O.P. SHARMA |
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II It is natural to lament the loss of anything. Loss of youth is irreparable and irrecoverable. Youth is the golden period of life. No other period of life can be a substitute for it. In spite of the many handicaps that aging of the flesh is heir to, old age need not be feared as a traumatic experience. Aging is not a prelude to death; on the contrary it offers a life rich in wisdom and experience. Indeed the best of the wine is served at the end of the feast. Samuel Ulman says: "Youth is not a time of life. It is a state of mind. It is not a matter of ripe cheeks, red lips and supple knees, it is temper of the will, a quality of imagination — youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite of adventure over love of ease. Thus often is found in a man of fifty more than a boy of twenty." Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years, people grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years wrinkle the skin but giving up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, doubt, self-distrust, fear and despair — these are the long years that bow the head and turn the grieving spirit to dust. If certain golden rules are followed by man in his twilight years, he can avoid feeling the loss of youth. And they are: responding with equanimity to anything sweet or bitter that God gives us; sitting in meditation at a fixed time and at a fixed place; studying divine literature which enjoins us to get rid of lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego. An optimistic attitude pays rich dividends. Joseph Joubert said: The evening of life brings with it its lamps." VIJAY SHEEL JAIN Changing social mores This refers to the article "Changing social mores" (June 24) by Sarabjit Singh. The writer aptly highlighted a few factors that have contributed to the decline of ethical standards among individuals as well as social groups. I do not feel that the writer is right in putting the whole blame on two classes — one political and the other religious. No doubt they are to blame to a great extent but the other classes, comprising artists, intellectual and particularly urban middle classes cannot be absolved from the blame, because hardly any one from these three classes has the inclination or the courage to raise voice against social evils. Had it been so, a synthesis of the cultural values of the upper middle classes and the masses would have taken place. The actual solution requires combined efforts of all intellectual, political and religious leaders to guide the destiny of India by becoming role models. P.L. SETHI
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