Aging isn’t Optional. Growing is.
Curing aging is a popular narrative amongst the tech and finance intelligentsia, even though we haven’t cured the common cold yet, or cancer, or Alzheimer’s. Of course, it doesn’t matter. The 1-percenters want more years added onto their lives, and so the “live forever” research gets more and more funding.
Now, I don’t know what life (or death) will look like in 100 years, and I am open to all the miracles that science may or may not bring, but right now, aging isn’t optional. Sorry, folks. It happens to all of us. 99% of us are going to die. LOL.
On the other hand, growing is optional, especially in the second half of life. Unfortunately, many people who hit their "midlife unraveling" in their forties and fifties will become like turtles and retreat into their shells. It’s easy to stay there, too. It’s safe and warm, and no one expects anything. It’s also isolating and leads to an aging process that is faster and lonelier, and devoid of meaning. And, yes, it’s also boring.
Of course, should we decide to stick out our neck and shed comfort and anonymity, we can begin to grow and evolve. We can see for ourselves that many of the effects of aging are quite positive: increased EQ and happiness, more holistic thinking, better discernment of how to spend one’s time. It is with our necks stuck out that we will also stay curious, interested, and inspired. We will come to know that just because we age doesn’t mean we stop growing.
The only question is: which option will you choose?
