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On Old Age

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Re: On Old Age

#41

Post by jfengel »

kashyapc wrote: post #38
jfengel wrote: post #7

I'm 50 now, and this is going to be hard for me because I've got little practice in dealing with disability. Even now, I'm about to run a celebratory 50k rather than my usual yearly 42k marathon. I will never again break my best time, but it's my annual proof that I can still do this thing. And yet it's coming. Bifocals are in my near future. I have very preliminary symptoms of prostate trouble. I'm not used to needi…

You might want to check out the more poetically-sensible Seneca, who was born a little after his fellow Roman, Cicero, and wasn't particularly fond of him. Seneca too addresses the "growing old" topic quite often and incessantly in his (124 excellent) letters and other essays. Allow me to quote from his Letter 12 ("Visiting a childhood home"): [quote] "... Let us embrace old age and love it. It is full of pleasure if…

There's a lot to be said for the Stoics. The trick, I think, is that you have to begin it early. It's easy to skip the your-son-may-be-dead-in-the-morning when you're young and your son probably won't be dead. But if he dies, you can't pick up The Consolation of Philosophy and get sudden consolation. It avoids the unpleasant shift -- and perhaps just smoothes out the constant amount of unpleasantness over time.

Re: On Old Age

#42

Post by spaetzleesser »

circlefavshape wrote: post #36
jfengel wrote: post #7

I'm 50 now, and this is going to be hard for me because I've got little practice in dealing with disability. Even now, I'm about to run a celebratory 50k rather than my usual yearly 42k marathon. I will never again break my best time, but it's my annual proof that I can still do this thing. And yet it's coming. Bifocals are in my near future. I have very preliminary symptoms of prostate trouble. I'm not used to needi…

I'm 48, and have been a bit mid-life-crisis-y lately. One thing that's been bothering me is that the best times of my life are probably behind me. I don't mean the most productive, or the highest status, or whatever - I mean the most fun . I don't want to delight in the "consciousness of a life well spent and the memory of many deeds worthily performed". I want excitement, and adventure. My friends around me not remi…

I have been in the same situation. But the lack of adventure and excitement can be fixed if you make the effort. Problem is that you have less energy so it’s very tempting to spend the weekend sitting on a sofa instead of doing something.

My mom is a warning for me. She admits that she feels regret about not having done a lot of things when she was younger and now she can’t do them being 90 years old with a demented husband who needs constant care.

Re: On Old Age

#43

Post by snvzz »

A reminder that research efforts into repairing the damage of aging (effectively undoing aging) do exist.

SENS[0] is a 501(c)(3) public charity directing and funding such research.

[0]: https://www.sens.org/

Re: On Old Age

#44

Post by murky135 »

jfengel wrote: post #7

I'm 50 now, and this is going to be hard for me because I've got little practice in dealing with disability. Even now, I'm about to run a celebratory 50k rather than my usual yearly 42k marathon. I will never again break my best time, but it's my annual proof that I can still do this thing. And yet it's coming. Bifocals are in my near future. I have very preliminary symptoms of prostate trouble. I'm not used to needi…

I have nothing to add other than that I enjoy your writing style

Re: On Old Age

#45

Post by stanrivers »

tonyedgecombe wrote: post #27
vsareto wrote: post #5

Imagine being a slave and hearing this guy say it's all within you to live a happy life: >For to those who have not the means within themselves of a virtuous and happy life every age is burdensome

"Some things are up to us and some are not up to us. Our opinions are up to us, and our impulses, desires, aversions – in short, whatever is our own doing. Our bodies are not up to us, nor are our possessions, our reputations, or our public offices. . ." Epictetus, a Roman slave, probably crippled by his master.

Good quote and just want to say that his philosophies are some of the most difficult sounding topics, but with he himself appearing to live a life that is true.

I would also say look up James Bond Stockdale (yes that is really his name) - we was a POW in Vietnam for seven years. He refers to Epictetus and Stoic philosophy as the reason he survived with his mental health.

I’ll see if I can find a link to two papers of his that are public source

Re: On Old Age

#46

Post by stanrivers »

tonyedgecombe wrote: post #27
vsareto wrote: post #5

Imagine being a slave and hearing this guy say it's all within you to live a happy life: >For to those who have not the means within themselves of a virtuous and happy life every age is burdensome

"Some things are up to us and some are not up to us. Our opinions are up to us, and our impulses, desires, aversions – in short, whatever is our own doing. Our bodies are not up to us, nor are our possessions, our reputations, or our public offices. . ." Epictetus, a Roman slave, probably crippled by his master.

As promised: https://www.usna.edu/Ethics/_files/documents/Stoicism2.pdf

He has a couple other books and collections of writings. If you are looking for real world applications of Stoicism, there isn’t much of a better person.

Re: On Old Age

#47

Post by guytv »

lazypenguin wrote: post #26
jfengel wrote: post #7

I'm 50 now, and this is going to be hard for me because I've got little practice in dealing with disability. Even now, I'm about to run a celebratory 50k rather than my usual yearly 42k marathon. I will never again break my best time, but it's my annual proof that I can still do this thing. And yet it's coming. Bifocals are in my near future. I have very preliminary symptoms of prostate trouble. I'm not used to needi…

There was a post not long ago on here by a young man (32 iirc?) that had a terminal illness and was sharing his final thoughts. One idea stood out to me, he said that getting old is a privilege that not everyone has the opportunity to experience. It was a new perspective for me on aging, perhaps the sentiment can be meaningful to you as well.

hmm. that's exactly what stayed with me as well. Each birthday is another victory. You made it another year. some don't. rejoice.

Re: On Old Age

#48

Post by briangray »

lazypenguin wrote: post #26
jfengel wrote: post #7

I'm 50 now, and this is going to be hard for me because I've got little practice in dealing with disability. Even now, I'm about to run a celebratory 50k rather than my usual yearly 42k marathon. I will never again break my best time, but it's my annual proof that I can still do this thing. And yet it's coming. Bifocals are in my near future. I have very preliminary symptoms of prostate trouble. I'm not used to needi…

There was a post not long ago on here by a young man (32 iirc?) that had a terminal illness and was sharing his final thoughts. One idea stood out to me, he said that getting old is a privilege that not everyone has the opportunity to experience. It was a new perspective for me on aging, perhaps the sentiment can be meaningful to you as well.

[1] I believe this is the one you're referencing from Elliot Dallen. It's a very insightful and beautiful post. And the reason I now read articles referencing old age, which once didn't register with me as much.

  "Nobody should lament getting one year older, another grey hair or a wrinkle. Instead, be pleased that you’ve made it." - Elliot Dallen
1 - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/sep/07/termin...

Re: On Old Age

#49

Post by stakkur »

Cicero, like many other philosophers of antiquity, places ultimate value on the goal of 'a life well-lived'. In this essay, he basically says 'old age is fine, if you lived a good life beforehand', and hedges by saying death's no big deal.

Which is, of course, rubbish. That's not really how life works: rewards rarely follow your efforts to live a good life. There are often no rewards at all; a life of diligent savings can disappear in an instant, physical fitness can end with cancer, faithfulness can end in bitter disappointment. Attempting to 'optimize' your life, your finances, your career often put you in places you never wanted to be.

The Buddhists come closer to what life is really about: life is not a journey, it's a dance. And you can dance anytime; old age can be joyous anytime you choose to dance--you don't need a 'good life' preceding it to make it good. Or, TL;DR: All you ever have in life is this one moment, right now.

Re: On Old Age

#50

Post by telesilla »

jfengel wrote: post #41
kashyapc wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You might want to check out the more poetically-sensible Seneca, who was born a little after his fellow Roman, Cicero, and wasn't particularly fond of him. Seneca too addresses the "growing old" topic quite often and incessantly in his (124 excellent) letters and other essays. Allow me to quote from his Letter 12 ("Visiting a childhood home"): [quote] "... Let us embrace old age and love it. It is full of pleasure if…

There's a lot to be said for the Stoics. The trick, I think, is that you have to begin it early. It's easy to skip the your-son-may-be-dead-in-the-morning when you're young and your son probably won't be dead. But if he dies, you can't pick up The Consolation of Philosophy and get sudden consolation. It avoids the unpleasant shift -- and perhaps just smoothes out the constant amount of unpleasantness over time.

Mix in a healthy dose of Buddhist 'life is in this very moment' and I think it's very possible to enjoy growing old, certain frailties notwithstanding.
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