The Essence of Old Age - Essay Example

Wisdom: The Essence of Old Age of the of the Interview Q: Do you have any hobbies or special interests? Do you enjoy anyparticular sports? A: Yes, gardening is my hobby. I enjoy watching basketball. Q: What’s your typical day like now? How is it different from your daily routines in the past? A: Oh, my routine is completely different from the one when I was working. These days, I get up by 7.30 am. Then I enjoy coffee with my wife. Then I read paper and have a bath. By 9.30 a.m., I finish my usual morning rituals and go to my small garden in front of my house. I spend my time there till the lunch at about 12.30 p.m. After lunch, I do whatever I feel like doing. Foe example, I indulge in a nap, chat with wife or my daughter, or watch television. Then in the evening, after having coffee, me and my wife sit on the porch, chat with neighbors or go for a walk. After that, I either help my wife in kitchen or watch television shows. We have dinner and then we go to sleep. So the routine is very relaxed and flexible. During my working says, it was rigid and fixed as I had to leave home by 7.30 a.m. and I used to come back by 7 p.m. Q: Is the present better or worse than when you were younger? A: To tell you the truth, I do not compare. I have enjoyed working and I have lived life to the fullest. So I do not think that I would have done something more if I was younger. I am reaping the rewards of good financial investments. So I am also enjoying and loving every bit of my life. I can actually say that this is better than when I was younger (Laughs loudly). The only regret is that my body has lost its speed and agility. But then, I love being lazy (Smiles). Q: What do you do for fun? A: I go for fishing. My hobby of gardening gives me a lot of fun. Q: Who do you trust and depend on? A: I love my wife. I trust her and depend on her for emotional support and advice. Q: What things are most important to you now? Why? A: Living my remaining life peacefully. Peaceful life is what I have always desired. Q: How have your dreams and goals changed through your life? A: I actually started to dream in my early twenties. Till that time, I was kind of suppressed under my father’s strict and cold behavior. My childhood was sad due to my father’s temper and aggression. So I have always dreamt of a life which is free from tensions and emotional suffocations. So throughout my life, financial independence and peaceful life has been my dream. It has never changed. Q: What do you remember about your 20s? 30s? 40s? 50s? 60s? What events stand out in your mind? A: The most important event was my parent’s divorce when I was 15. That was when my life began as I was freed from my father’s clutches. It took me more than 3 years after that to bring out my own personality and life. I was good at studies and my researches and degree in psychology got me a job as a professor. I remember being with my assistants, students and my colleagues. My most memorable events are my marriage and birth of my daughter, which was in my 30’s. Life has been beautiful in 40’s and 50’s. Retirement did leave a huge emptiness and gap in my life but I have learnt how to fill that gap and relax in leisure (Smiles). Q: How was each age different from the one before it? A: Age does not really matter. Every age is important when you enter that age. People feel that you change with age, but I don’t think so. You remain same. Wise people become wiser but idiots keep on doing same mistakes repeatedly. My life has been smooth and simple. Nothing dramatic has ever happened to me. Sadly, I am not a James Bond (Laughs). Q: There are some ages we don’t look forward to. What birthday were you least enthusiastic about? Why? A: As I said, I have never been concerned about age. How does it matter? After all, every age has its own gift. I was somewhat worried about retirement so I was little nervous about crossing 50’s. But when it came, it brought the pleasures of a relaxed life. Q: If you could go back to any age, which age would it be and why? A: I have lived my life to the fullest so do not have any desire of going back. Q: How do you feel now about growing old? What’s the hardest thing about growing older? The best thing? A: I feel good. The hardest thing is lowering of physical energy. The best thing is relaxed life. Q: What were your parents like when they got older? A: My mother was a very loving and caring woman. She became more loving and happy after her divorce. So she was a happy woman when she was older. I am not in contact with my father. Q: Did you have any expectations at points in your life about what growing older would be like for you? A: Yes, I wanted to be financially independent and to have my own house. So I managed my money very carefully and invested in long term pleasures rather than in short term pleasures. Q: How should a person prepare for old age? Is there anything you wish you’d done differently? A: No. My father’s treatment taught me that no matter what, one should always be financially independent if one is to lead an independent life. So my youth was lived very maturely and I made very sound decisions. One should prepare for old age by building sound health and sound finances. Q: Do you think about the future and make plans? What are your concerns for the future? A: I am living my future. My future plan in the past was to retire and to enjoy life (Smiles). Q: If you live another 20-30 years, what will you do? Do you want to live another 20-30 years? A: Definitely, I want to live a long life. I would probably travel to other countries and explore. Q: What do you look forward to now? A: Traveling with my wife and spending quality time with my daughter and son-in-law. Q: What’s your most cherished family tradition? Why is it important? A: I have made it a family habit to celebrate my mother’s birthday every year. She has made me what I am. So I dedicate the celebration to her. Q: What have you liked best about your life so far? What’s your happiest or proudest moment? A: My job. I loved my job and hence, felt very lucky. My happiest moment was my marriage and the proudest moment was my daughter’s birth. Q: What do you feel have been the important successes in your life? The frustrations? A: My job was an important success for me. Relationship with my father was frustrating. Q: What’s the most difficult thing that ever happened to you? How did you deal with it? A: My parent’s divorce was most difficult as my mother was suddenly very lonely. I realized that she will be able to cope better if I showed courage. So I dealt with it in a mature way. Q: What do you think the turning points have been in your life? What were you like then? A: My parent’s divorce was turning point. I was quite matured at that time. Q: Are there times of your life that you remember more vividly than others? Why? A: I remember my parent’s divorce vividly as it was freedom from trauma and consistent fear. Q: What have been the most influential experiences in your life? A: My experience of being an assistant to one of my senior professors was most influential. Q: Why do you think so? A: Well, it is from him that I learnt a lot about life. He taught me that temporary pleasures are just that, temporary! He taught me to invest in long term pleasures and to live life gracefully. Q: Describe a person or situation from your childhood that had a profound effect on the way you look at life. A: My professor had a great effect on my life. I lived every moment in ‘present’ and yet, secured my future. My professor was a very well read man. He had interest in philosophy, art, culture and spirituality. He was multi-dimensional person. He was also well traveled and had made many trips to Asia. He was my guide and he taught me how to live. Q: If you were writing the story of your life, how would you divide it into chapters? A: I will divide it in three chapters of fear, freedom and bliss. Before my parent’s divorce, it was fear. After the divorce, it was freedom, and now it is bliss (Smiles). Q: What, if anything, would you have done differently in your life? A: I wish I had encouraged my mother to take divorce a little earlier. Q: What do you know now that you wish you’d known when you were young? A: Nothing really. You learn everything at right time. One cannot force wisdom to come at will. It comes when it has to come. Q: What have you thrown away in your life that you wish you hadn’t? What have you held on to that’s important and why is it important? What “junk” have you held on to and why? A: My professor had taught me that the less baggage you have, the more enjoyable is the journey. I don’t regret throwing away anything. I always throw away clutter and old things. Q: Over time, how have you changed the way you look at life/people? A: I used to look at life as trauma, suffering and punishment when I was young. Now I know that life is beautiful if you know how to become independent. Q: What advice did your grandparents or parents give you that you remember best? A: My mother had told me once that it is not people but you who are in control of your life. If I am strong, then no one can dare to overpower or traumatize me. My independence is in my hands. This was the best advice. Read More