How Do You See The Mountain?

Four people stare at a mountain. The mountain is just a mountain, but the four people are different from one another, hold different views. The first person is a navigator, and when he sights the mountain, it is part of his tools to navigate onward. Or perhaps it is his destination. The second person, being a prospector, sees a potential source of wealth. Riches. Better mining equipment. A bigger tent. A good time with his friends. The third mountain viewer is an artist, a painter. He sees light and shadow, interprets mood, captures color. Being a spiritualist, the fourth person sees the dwelling place of the gods. All four see the same mountain differently, according to their attention and perspective. There is the truth, the mountain, and then there is our perspective. We only see through our eyes. We have to train ourselves to see from someone else’s perspective.

The way we have always done things is not necessarily the correct, or the only way to see things. When we look at aging, what do we generally see? Slower movement, everything takes longer, and nothing works as well. We develop a loss of ability: reduced vision, wonky knees, poor hearing, lower back pain, and aches and pains getting out of bed. It’s too much work to live in a two-story house, so we move to a rambler.

Can we image a different aging process, one where we stay mentally sharp, physically strong, and emotionally stable? Yes we can. But we will have to change what we believe about aging. And we will have to take action. Beliefs without action are just thoughts, which blow in with the wind, and drift out on a breeze.

If we want to see aging as vibrant, healthy, and intellectually stimulating, we need to imagine that world, create it, and practice actions that support it. Think healthier thoughts, move more, get enough sleep, eat better foods, engage your brain with new information, practice balance and coordination, and find ways to lower stress.

It’s a view of a mountain. When you change the perspective, you change your intention of possibilities. Aging becomes a part of life, not necessarily the end. Just as you celebrate being a child, adulthood, and/or becoming a parent, celebrate aging. It’s celebrating life.

That’s Aging Intelligently