Better Than Young

Is young the best that one can hope to be -- or is there something beyond that that makes the rest of life more meaningful -- otherwise, we are young just to grow old, and old just to long to be young again?

Each stage of life has its own challenges -- and merely wishing to be what one is not, is not a very intelligent way of meeting the challenges at any stage or conditions of life.  In fact, that is the very manner in which people become disconnected from their lives and the realities -- and choose to live in "another world" that others have an increasingly difficult time understanding why it is they are doing what they do.

That is the problem of thought and memory in preference and precedence to awareness of simply what is.  Instead, one superimposes what should be, or what they would like it to be, over how things actually are -- which is what is.  Many people's conditioning -- is entirely of that manner -- preferring to live in their worlds of delusions, fantasies and entertainment -- which robs them of the singleminded focus required to make the best of what they already have.

Always, despite what they have, they want more -- or different, and never what they already have -- and make the most of that.  And if that were not enough of a problem, they blame others, for not having what they want -- and as much of it as they want, while doing little, or nothing, with what they already have.

Not surprisingly, that is also the regard they have to their bodies, health and talent -- that is something only to be taken for granted, and that they should wish for something else -- a better body, features, being young again -- rather than being the best they can be -- at their present age.  The presumption is, that they already are -- but they've never given any thought to where they are, and why they are the way there are -- before wishing it were otherwise.

In order to get anywhere, one first has to know where one is presently, and not knowing that, it is meaningless to proceed along any journey, undertake any task -- and that is why the central feature of any map, is to tell you first where you are -- before telling you about the places you can go.

For that reason, the great advice of wise individuals throughout the ages, has been to Know Oneself -- otherwise, one can have all kinds of delusions about who one is, and what one thinks they are doing, and always, there will be great disappointments leading to greater disconnections from the simple realities of the present.  That has to be the clue to understanding why people do what they do -- even if it is killing them, and causing their problems -- that they just hope, somebody else will solve -- and it is never that the reason for their living, is to make the best of their own lives.

The media propaganda is often that that is not what we should be doing -- but only doing that for somebody else -- their family, their community, their country, and some vague notion of high ideals -- while thinking nothing, and doing nothing of simple acts of execution that actually matter, and make a difference.

They've lost touch with that essential connection -- and so it is not entirely surprising, that they become increasingly disconnected from their own bodies, and what is required to maintain their essential health and well-being -- and what they concern themselves with, have nothing at all to do with the task at hand, but is only a diversion and entertainment, from applying all that thought, energy and time, to what would make a great difference -- and that is a greater awareness of what things actually are -- and not just their wishful-thinking, of what they would like them to be.

That never works.