Getting Older: Some Reflections on the Process!

Now that it is technically safe to look into this years calendar I have been reflecting on some of the witty sayings and wisdoms contained in the 2011 one given to me as a present.

A lovely piece of publishing craft it is called "Senior Wit & Wisdom", neither one of which I thought I was lacking, but commodities which I am happy to ponder on and accept fresh sources when supplied.

One wisdom that struck my eye today was the one attributed to Friedrich Nietzsche the great German philosopher who reputedly proclaimed with Germanic certainty that "God is Dead".

The calendar attributes the following wisdom to him:
"Jesus died too soon. If he had lived to my age he would have repudiated his doctrine."

With arrogance like this it should come as no surprise that in the 60's one of the "in" jokes for philosophy students was to proclaim on blackboards everywhere in big chalk letters - "Nietzsche is Dead!! by God". The idea that age is a decay to the point of abandoning belief is sad and not worthy of scholarly men.

The other witticism which caught my eye and that I actually liked was attributed to Dr Seuss, namely: "Your only old once!" I liked it because the legitimate point is made that life is a progression through experience and that each stage is a new experience and our task is to make the most of it and not to bemoan it or decry it for times we may have thought better. Times when we could drink lots, pea less and wake up with smaller hang overs. Times when we could run for the train and actually catch it! Perhaps there is an advantage to walking slower? Perhaps you actually see the world around you and appreciate it more!

I think what we get from age  is that life is never to be moaned about and that mostly you just have to get on with it as god and age permit.

Life is only a bowl of cherries if you get off your ass and pick them?

Other plants of course can also be of value too!