Greying Gracefully

              For a change, and before going into the second part of my 2009 travelogue, I thought I should place some deep thought before you all.  Here's how it goes.....

Nowadays, with increased stress on well being, fitness, et al, the word grey has become unspeakable to such an extent that it means only infirmity and an absence of dynamism.  Of course, it could be ubiquitously used to display brain power or 'grey’ matter.

   While giving it that ‘looking young’ and ‘feeling young’ are calls individuals take, I simply want to present the other side of the coin which seems to be conspicuous by its rarity.

   When we were born, we were weak and small.  But we are not the same.  With age, we grow and become strong.  The point to note is that change is constant.  We cannot fix ourselves at a particular age or time in our lives.  It is harder to accept this.  I’ll tell you why.

   We are all enamoured by youth and the beauty it brings along.  We have all heard of ‘Evergreen’ heroes, who, with passage of time, acted with heroines younger than their own children.  We have subconsciously idolised ‘evergreen’ness and hence refuse to grow older than youth. 

   Youth is the time when we are bold and courageous about doing things we won’t even think about in old age.  Some of us want to be adventurous forever, so we refuse to grow older than 25.  Is it really possible to do that?  Most of us think we’ve pulled it off, but deep down inside, we know that it’s but a facade.

   The very fact that we ‘look’ for such compliments and feel elated about them indicates that we’re trying to stop the inevitable.  The world around us also places a premium on good looks and appearances, giving a boot to words of wisdom which indicate the worthiness of good attitude.  Of what use are botox, anti-ageing and fairness creams if one is not good-natured?

   Life offers us a variety of experiences, some good, some bad, some exciting and some others, disappointing which broaden our perspective and make us wiser, but only if we choose to.  By not accepting our age, we are foregoing an opportunity to be wiser.  Do we want to live life or simply exist on earth? 

   As we grow older, we should, naturally and atleast in terms of inter-generational equity, expect the next generation to do better than us.  By getting stuck in age, are we trying to be their competitors?  Is it not our responsibility to guide them in to  a better future, with all the help of our rich experience?

               Now let us burst some myths about greying.  We all know that our metabolism slows down after a certain age.  Then why should we try to be unnatural?  The grace comes from accepting our age and making it an opportunity to improve ourselves and those around us in the process.  For example, we could turn to a stricter fitness routine, give up on junk food and bad habits, respect the body and its parts by not putting too much of a pressure on them, sharing our life experiences with others either to encourage them for good or discourage them from wrong doing.  If we are competitors of the next generation, how can we mentor them?  If we want our children to come up in life and relish their growth, we must be older than them. Right?

   By accepting our age, we can cope better with the challenges the body brings as we grow older.  A young person will always find it hard to accept even a temporary immobility.  But if we accept our age, we can reconcile to the fact that it is but a function of our age, or that it was the result of our bad habits of the past.

   This is not a great write-up (I know of my innumerable limitations in writing) but its intention is to put across the point that one can grey gracefully.  So, on your next birthday, if someone asks you for your age, and you speak the truth, you will have taken the first step towards greying gracefully.  Also remember, growing old is mandatory and growing up is optional.

               Happy greying and growing up, folks!