On Keeping Young

We perceive the world in three different ways: What is going on, what we want to be going on, and what we believe should be going on.

 What IS going on is simple. Right now, you are reading this blog. This is what is going on. But it might cross your mind that what you really want to do is go to the movies and what you should be doing is go to your desk and do some work you are behind on.

 This difference between what you are doing, what you want to do and what you should do, creates frustrations; What is going on is not what you want to be going on, and what you want should not be, and what should be done, is not being done.

Which perception, is, want or should, is driving our behavior changes over our lifetime. We start with WANT, ignoring the IS and the SHOULD. Look at a toddler; I want this. I want that, and if it doesn't get what it wants it cries: I want, want, want, want.

 As we are growing, we are being taught what we should do. How we should speak, or behave, what we should learn, what we should do with our career, how we should take care of our family, etc. People that do not graduate from want to the should stage remain immature with the Peter Pan syndrome.

 At old age, getting sick and having pains, bearing scars of experiencing life, realizing the end of our life is close by, what drives our behavior is what IS really going on. Never mind what we want, or what we should be doing. What is, is. In old age, we surrender to reality. And we look with a forgiving eye on children that are chasing the want, and the adults who are slaves to the should. But this development is not inevitable.

 One way to slow down our aging is to never give up the want driving force. Keep dreaming and planting fruit trees although you might not be the one to harvest them. Keep working and keeping fit, and enjoy what you do by doing what you want to. Being led by the want perspective and not yielding to what is, might be the trick of keeping a youthful perspective on life.  

 We do not have to surrender to old age and capitulate our wants. Have a purpose you want to fulfill. Keep dreaming and in spite of chronological old age, your mind, your spirit is still young.