Learning to live in the present. The here and now. Moment by moment. Something that never crosses our busy, distracted minds. And time slips by so quickly, yet little attention is paid to it.
Time is a living, breathing organism. It surrounds us, traps us, pulls us ever closer to our final moments on earth.
Yet we cannot accept that in our youth.
Every day we live as though we are already living forever. We believe that we will achieve that immortality somehow in our lifetime in human flesh. And we never pay attention to the fact that we, too, will come to the end of this life one day.
And when that time rushes by, we forget to learn from those who have gone before. We never learn from our elders.
The youth…
As a young person, the thought of old age never crosses our minds. Older people are considered antiquated and out of touch. Mocked, shoved to the side, or discarded in nursing homes and often forgotten.
Like so many young people throughout history, most people ignore the immense treasure of experience. Every person brings to the table of humanity unique adventures and deeds.
Those very people who have the greatest treasures to give are our elders. But the youth shun them as burdensome.
Growing old…
No two people share the same life experiences moment by moment. Theirs is a story that is never repeated. Once gone, it is gone forever.
We reach the past the peak of life in our 30’s. At that point, the body begins to break down. Deterioration sets in. And no amount of effort will prevent the inevitable in this world.
One day, we will all wake up and, if we are being honest, begin to realize just how short life really is. What we once thought was going to last forever won’t last.
The ignorance of youth.
Wisdom…
Make an effort to glean the wisdom of the aged while you can. Those lessons become lost when they die. So are the conversations that share all that information.
Honor the experiences of the aged. Lives well lived are more valuable than gold. Their knowledge is precious. And the youth should embrace every opportunity to drink it all in.
Like a pearl of great price, these elders hold a history of experiences you will never have on your own. Learn from them. Embrace them. Value them.
One day, you, too, will be old. Sharing to your family and kin will keep your memories and experiences alive.
Learn…
Learn from the old while you are still young. And keep that knowledge alive. Ask, listen, learn.
Recreating knowledge is hard. Research will show the concepts.
But all that knowledge comes from others outside your close familial bonds. Those little touches and nuances of family adds to the flavor of that bit of wisdom. It keeps you in touch with something that is uniquely your own. Your individual personal history.
Don’t refuse the singular annals that only those in your family can share. This is the generation that is your own. Losing that chance loses the wisdom. You lose all the memories, traditions, and richness of your own familial experiences when you close your ears.
Knowledge from others will never be able to share your family insight. Instead, the information will bring along with it their own distinctiveness unique to their own family line.
Choose to keep alive the richness of your own family history, broken as it may be. Take from it the good, discard to the bad, and share your experiences with your children.
For what you have to share is important. And, if they hear and remember the stories, they will learn lessons they will not have to learn on their own the hard way.
Share those lessons and experiences every day. Moment by moment. Learned by living every day in the present.
Store up those lessons for the future. Pass them on to the next generations.
Then they will never forgotten.