The Blessing of
Old Age for Man

When a man reaches old age and comes face to face with death, his thinking changes and he becomes cut to size. Old age gives man an opportunity to become a realist.

There are two periods of life–youth and old age. Before reaching the stage of old age, a man has energy, and is so filled with the spirit of adventure that he regularly overestimates his own capabilities. For him this is a romantic period of his life, for his thinking is not realistic. It is a sign of his immaturity.

When a man reaches old age, his thinking begins to change, for, having come face to face with the realities of life, he is now cut to size. His whole point of view on life has had to make an about turn.

Nature or the Creator wants man to come out of this artificial or immature phase of life, stop thinking superficially and start thinking realistically and deeply. This stage can be arrived at only through introspection. There is no other, better way. The Creator desires that man should fulfil his divine destiny. And this can be done only when he cuts himself to size on his own. Looked at from this point of view, old age is a blessing for man.

The most important thing in life is for man to shed his illusions and start thinking in terms of reality. He must think and live as a realist. Old age gives man an opportunity to become a realist. The message of old age is: “O man, if you wasted your youth because of ignorance, now in old age be more serious about things. Whatever you failed to do in your youth, try to make amends for that in your old age. Youth was the age of being a loser, when you failed to avail of your first chance. Now, with the maturity which old age brings, avail of the second chance by planning your life anew, so that you may make a success of it.”