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Saturday, October 13, 2007
Gradual Decay of the Mind
By JSP
How does one prevent the gradual slide towards close-mindedness that seems to afflict many people as they grow older? Each of us has likely shared conversation with someone older than ourselves, who is nostolgic for days long past; peaceful carefree days when none of the problems we have today occured.
I fear becoming one of these persons as I grow older. I wonder about why, when, and how fast I might change. I am approaching forty years of age. Could the changes already be taking place as we speak? Will I one day be looking at my neighborhood with respect and pride, and the next day see it as a place filled with scary people and frightening technology?
This is not an indictment of elderly people. Rather it is my observation of the way the mind begins to change as some people age. A few symptoms of this 'aging disease' include; reflecting on an imagined past that is overly simplified and factually incorrect, disdain for current cultural trends, inflating the severity of current events, and presenting the overall attitude is that "things today are terribly worse than when I was young."
Thankfully, I do not associate many of these symptoms with my day-to-day thoughts. I concede that I often think popular culture is annoying, however I felt the same about popular culture in the 80's and 90's. I realize that societal problems exist today, but recognize there were other problems in the past and there will be different problems in the future. Today's problems are not significantly greater than problems of the past. The past held good times and some not so good times.
Do I want to go back to grade school or high school? Would I want to return to my college days or my mid 20's or early 30's again because those days were somehow better? In a general sense no, reality dictates forward progress through life. I cherish memories of my past and look forward to improving life in the present and future. I might cherry-pick some moments of my past to re-live or reminisce about youthful days of few responsibilities, but I will not damn the present because of experiences I had in the past.
One possible cause of the sour attitude of some older folks might be that society has left them behind. Perhaps some older people build bubbles of reality that may artificially lock them into one period of time. Years may peacefully pass until one day events occur which break their bubble and force in some reality. This event can be harsh and frightening, difficult to understand in light of the artificial bubble world. Further, there may be a realization that cultural norms have moved so far and so fast that one can no longer integrate oneself into the present. This could make one frustrated, angry, intolerant, and basically detached from much of what the present has to offer.
One possible preventative measure to avoid this dead end, is to remain engaged in the present. On a local level, getting to know new neighbors as they move in and staying involved with persons you have known for long time. Make new friendships to supplement your old friendships. Remain open-minded to new technology and the changes this technology brings to how the world runs. Change sometimes improves things.
This last point brings to mind the frustration that introducing roundabouts has caused to some with people in this area. They complain about the new traffic patterns without regard to the fact they will actually improve how cars get through a busy intersection.
Don't let far away events or isolated incidences dictate what you think about young people or society at large. Our world is a big place with more and more people born into it every day. Strange events and horrible tragedies are beamed into our living rooms or computer screens. We see these things more because such information is so easily transmitted now, however these bizarre and horrible things have been occurring since humans have walked the earth.
In short, I hope to stay young at mind as long as possible.
I fear becoming one of these persons as I grow older. I wonder about why, when, and how fast I might change. I am approaching forty years of age. Could the changes already be taking place as we speak? Will I one day be looking at my neighborhood with respect and pride, and the next day see it as a place filled with scary people and frightening technology?
This is not an indictment of elderly people. Rather it is my observation of the way the mind begins to change as some people age. A few symptoms of this 'aging disease' include; reflecting on an imagined past that is overly simplified and factually incorrect, disdain for current cultural trends, inflating the severity of current events, and presenting the overall attitude is that "things today are terribly worse than when I was young."
Thankfully, I do not associate many of these symptoms with my day-to-day thoughts. I concede that I often think popular culture is annoying, however I felt the same about popular culture in the 80's and 90's. I realize that societal problems exist today, but recognize there were other problems in the past and there will be different problems in the future. Today's problems are not significantly greater than problems of the past. The past held good times and some not so good times.
Do I want to go back to grade school or high school? Would I want to return to my college days or my mid 20's or early 30's again because those days were somehow better? In a general sense no, reality dictates forward progress through life. I cherish memories of my past and look forward to improving life in the present and future. I might cherry-pick some moments of my past to re-live or reminisce about youthful days of few responsibilities, but I will not damn the present because of experiences I had in the past.
One possible cause of the sour attitude of some older folks might be that society has left them behind. Perhaps some older people build bubbles of reality that may artificially lock them into one period of time. Years may peacefully pass until one day events occur which break their bubble and force in some reality. This event can be harsh and frightening, difficult to understand in light of the artificial bubble world. Further, there may be a realization that cultural norms have moved so far and so fast that one can no longer integrate oneself into the present. This could make one frustrated, angry, intolerant, and basically detached from much of what the present has to offer.
One possible preventative measure to avoid this dead end, is to remain engaged in the present. On a local level, getting to know new neighbors as they move in and staying involved with persons you have known for long time. Make new friendships to supplement your old friendships. Remain open-minded to new technology and the changes this technology brings to how the world runs. Change sometimes improves things.
This last point brings to mind the frustration that introducing roundabouts has caused to some with people in this area. They complain about the new traffic patterns without regard to the fact they will actually improve how cars get through a busy intersection.
Don't let far away events or isolated incidences dictate what you think about young people or society at large. Our world is a big place with more and more people born into it every day. Strange events and horrible tragedies are beamed into our living rooms or computer screens. We see these things more because such information is so easily transmitted now, however these bizarre and horrible things have been occurring since humans have walked the earth.
In short, I hope to stay young at mind as long as possible.
Labels: perspective, politics