Happiness & Success 33

Oftentimes, those who have remained healthy in body and mind remain to be the influential characters of a generation. It is their wisdom that prevails. Life looks different for such privileged few. There are wonderful deeds that have to be fulfilled and imperfections that can be corrected even while in old age. However, only the wise realize these, while those who have allowed themselves to be carried by the problems in their own lives and the lives of other people, have closed their minds to great possibilities of brighter future ahead.

The youth are the hope of the future. This is what we usually hear. It is partly because they have absorbed more recent knowledge from educational institutions, while those who have grown old have settled for historical information with little added new knowledge and understanding. Lives of youthful people can go wrong, however, if they do not stay alert to pitfalls of every generation, which the elderly are more aware of. A combination of youthful energy, wisdom from the elderly, and willingness to follow the path of prudence, self-control, and righteousness — would be the best combination for greater stability and faster growth. We can stay young in mind and spirit if we believe we can and if we actually follow the right path to staying young. For example, I have learned that the older a person becomes, he succumbs to excessive work and forgets about the need to maintain good health. Work can be exciting. But it can lead to a deterioration of health if no time is set aside to maintain good health. Enjoying the knowledge gained can also become a habit. But if we do not afford some time to add new facts that can improve on our knowledge, that old knowledge will have less and less value over time, until they become irrelevant. The habit of gaining knowledge on an ongoing basis is very important both for the youth and the elderly.

Considering these things, what is the value of your life to you ? What is the value of other peoples’ lives to you ? For me, its value is worth appreciating as time passes. Let us go for what will add more value to our lives and the lives of other people, as well as the lives of animals and plants. If people will work in harmony with each other towards that common goal, this world will head nearer to perfection. Each individual with the right attitude will find more happiness and success in himself and with others. And we will be living in a better world. You need not grow old in mind and spirit at the very least, because you can decide to stay young deep within by simply seeking what is right.