Lesson #17

    I would like to take a moment to consider what the “true nature of life” really is. From the day we are born, we are all trapped in an existence where we are forced to make choices that will define our future. With each year we grow our decisions become more important, adding onto the stress we face. Though this poses the question of what it really means to go through life.

    We start off as babies, with a “vital light” that comes from an innocence and lack of experience with the world. Children are the beautiful creatures that captivate the attention of adults, who usually lack most memory of their early childhood. This is the stage where everything appears to be purely fascinating; the adolescent craves every ounce of knowledge they can absorb. Yet this innocence comes with a certain level of dismissal to their ideas; adults consider themselves wiser than their children, but in reality their mentality is just more clouded. If you think about it, the most well-rounded people are those who are unbiased-- our youth. They have not had the experiences that are able to persuade their views in a certain direction. At this stage they are “nothing but life;” there is world of opportunity ahead of them, and they are the ones who can see it the most clearly.

    As life goes on, these children become adults. Their new found responsibility comes with mountains of stress, and most come to the conclusion that life is “a hard fate.” During this stage their vital light becomes tainted, and the simple joys experienced by children become harder to appreciate. The joys in life begin to come from more superficial things, such as a bonus at work or finding a good sale. Although these things may seem meaningful, they begin to overshadow the natural simplicities that adolescents adore. It seems as if those who choose to ignore the struggles of life are perceived as naive, yet in reality they simply captivate more “vital light” than others. Although adults have physically aged, their mental maturation is what makes them adults. The most significant change they acquire is their view of humanity.

    The final stage is being considered elderly. These are the people who have had the most life experiences, seen the world, know what it is like to be a child and an adult, and are far enough in their lives to see through it all. These people now contain a completely different kind of light. Their vitality may be running low, and their brains are full to capacity, yet many of them often return to the simple joys of life-- though not completely. The encounters they have prevent them from returning to a stage of innocence, though they begin to understand why everything seems so wonderful in the eyes of a child. There is a certain connection that grows between the beginning and the end, one that bonds the hearts of the aged with the hearts of the young; they reach an understanding of what it means to come full circle. This is when the “true nature of life” begins to appear-- even after all these years, the elderly take the time to notice what has been mostly forgotten. The world, although different, returns to its state of beauty. They enjoy the wonders of life that are only temporary-- as they wait for the next stage of life, where they will return to their innocence.

Lesson #17: Beauty and wonder should not be lost with age.