In following the Tao, each day something is lost.
Lost and again lost.
Until there is nothing left to do.
Not-doing, nothing is left undone.”
Tao Te Ching
The path of Truth, being above the fray and observing the whole- seeing the world unravel as it evolves . People caught up in the illusions of fear, happiness, sorrow or joy. Observe it all flow by your discerning minds eye. It all passes.
See your own actions from that perch. One’s activities from that consciousness seeks neither recognition nor praise. One’s being is one’s gift: that state of being will emanate selfless actions; tiny perhaps, but contributory.
An old folk song, (Days of 49), contains the lyric “what cares I for praise.” The older some get the more you intuitively comprehend that lyric.
The term “wise elder”may seem like a trope, perhaps an ageist one. But as physical capacity declines something else rises, similarly when one loses one’s eyesight their hearing becomes more acute.
Senescence is a trade off. Body and mental acuity declines but as compensatory a path of transcendent being has the opportunity of opening wider, if one is receptive to it. A state of more being than doing; a reversal from the often frenetic world of the adulthood stage of life: work, child rearing, etc. when doing, acquiring, obtaining are paramount. In elderhood it shifts to more being and letting go.
Looking at it this way, the so called trope of “wise elder” is actually a natural evolution from the material to the spiritual- possessing new eyes or wizened eyes that see things from a distance.
Indeed, that is an attribute of elderhood and is one of its blessings.
You are so wise Jeff. It is great to take a pause with you, keep up the good work.
Jeff-do you know this state of being as a gift or an achievement? So many who are nearing the end of the dance claim frustration with abilities lost or fading and grief or anger over pastimes no longer possible, often named as boredom? How do you sense these uncomfortable beings could be shepherded from pain and loss to step inside such a circle of peace and acceptance?
Love this. I am feeling much that you so eloquently described.