Wrinkles on the Brain:
Towards Wisdom
When I reach my later years I would like to be like my Italian teacher, Father Benjamin Listello. Besides his calm demeanour and his graceful acceptance of his inabilities, what we admired in him was his sharp memory at the age of 87. But one day when I visited him in his room, I discovered his mnemonic device – just a simple things-to-do list that he updated it several times a day! An additional secret was that he always dropped his things-to-do list on the floor near the door, so that he was forced to pick it up and have a look at it.
In popular understanding, one of the signs of ageing is forgetting (and in some cases extreme dementia. Dementia is not just a problem of memory, but a cognitive condition that is marked by difficulties in skills associated with understanding, language and problem solving. […]
Spirituality of Later years
Psycho-spiritual reflections on later years of life – 3
Arrivals & Departures:
Handling socio-emotional situations towards altruism
In traditional societies, due perhaps to restricted physical movement, older people generally reduce their circle of acquaintances. They live in familiar set ups, with familiar people. They hardly meet new people. This makes their life less interesting perhaps, but in terms of socio-emotional aspects their situation is understandably less complex.
The beginning of later years is often marked by an experience of arrivals and departures in relationships. If the later years begin at the time of retirement, this stage is marked by an experience of saying good-bye to friends and colleagues at the place of work. At this stage many retired people may become members of church based groups or other interest groups, where they are exposed to new acquaintances. In the developed world, due to easy access to transport, (and thanks to the freedom pass for the senior citizens!), elderly people might travel more, […]