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Old age: curse or blessing
Professor N. Viswanathan
Old age is neither a curse nor a blessing. It is only an extension of the fact of human life and growth. Here I am reminded of the apocryphal legend of the Sphinx in the Egyptian desert that posed a riddle to every passerby the answer to which if incorrect, invited a harsh penalty for the unfortunate human. “What is that? Asked the sphinx, “which walks on four legs in the morning, on two legs in the afternoon, and on three legs at night?” The answer of course is MAN. The philosophy behind this poser is a reference to the progression of human life as it moves from stage to stage, at first the infant mewling and puking on four legs and the youth striding on two legs and finally the old walking with the aid of a stick. Old age is the inevitable corollary of human life and as Lamb puts it in his essay. The Superannuated Man, “It is a growing into gentility at last”. Many writers and poets have written about this progression of life, some gloomy, some bright but all have commented on the unvarying rhythm of human life. The most striking lines I have read are from an epic poem in Sanskrit written by a south Indian scholar called Appayya Dikeshitar in a work named, “Shanti Vilasam”, He says.
“Hour after hour the body melts / all the nerves are loosened / with each breath the long life is shaken and ultimately reduces”. This may sound gloomy and depressing. It is an undeniable fact of human existence. So there is no need to be unnecessarily alarmed or disturbed. I am not a medical scientist. Therefore I cannot speak authoritatively or even correctly about Gerontology. As we grow in to gentility perceptibly, I am neither alarmed nor disturbed as I just go around plucking my grey hair and rubbing cream on my face to remove the age lines. When people ask how old I am, I always say “as old as the hills”. This usually fetches a laugh from me to the utter bewilderment of the visitor. I look around me and see all the old faces of my friends and acquaintances. I derive comfort from the thought that I am in good company. I marvel at those nonagenarians and centurions and wonder what secret lies behind their longevity.
Speaking of longevity, I find the world is full of old people of all sizes and shapes and think gladly of science whose discoveries have helped to prolong human life to great lengths. I wonder if I too will share that dubious distinction. I have a cousin who is hundred plus two. My brother's father-in-law is hundred plus one and age has not dimmed his faculties. Yet Old age has its problems. Otherwise, there would be no proliferation of old parents being turned out of their homes by their children. The children forget that one day, in their turn; they too will suffer the same fate.
People who are ageing must accept the fact of their condition with equanimity. Build a fair amount of independent means of sustenance. Dependence on others carries a terrible burden and the dread of an uncertain future. What is even more worrying is the fear of being incapacitated by disease. Of course, if that happens there is nothing one can do about it except depend on the good will and Samaritan outlook of neighbors and friends. “Life without disease is ceaseless wealth”, goes a saying. Let us try and live life to the full and banish anxiety. Above all let us not feel old, even if we are old. To remain young at heart seek the company of young people. I can confidently claim that as a teacher constantly facing newer groups of young people in the class rooms, year after year has kept me rejuvenated and has helped me to keep advancing age at bay.
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