Age is a state of mind, And 'old' is not useless

P.O Box 1540, Albany Western Australia 6331
Phone: (08) 98 418 418
E-mail: abl-alb@omninet.net.au

Age is a state of mind, And 'old' is not useless
Unfortunately, our society has, all too often, stereotyped ageing as "useless, toothless and mindless". How absurd! Certainly, there are some natural declines which hold hands with ageing, but many people adapt beautifully to older age. How? By making a stubborn decision to stay in shape physically, socially, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. The happy result is a positive image; not of withdrawal, seclusion, elastic stockings, rocking chairs, wrinkles and tears but of fitness, worth, tranquility and beauty. Those who develop this image find the last third of life vibrant and exciting. So if you're getting older, let me encourage you not to yawn your way through the last third of life. Get involved with an invigorating conditioning program for physical, social, emotional, intellectual and spiritual fitness. Intellectual stretching is one exercise that will help you. Dr. Maxwell Maltz, in his book, Psycho-Cybernetics, wrote: "I have no doubt that you could take a healthy man of 30 and within five years make an 'old man' of him, if you could somehow convince him that he was 'old', that all physical activity was futile. If you could induce him to sit in a rocking chair all day, give up all his dreams for the future, give up all interests in new ideas and regard himself as washed up, worthless, unimportant and non-productive, I am sure that you could experimentally create an old man." We all know that an unused limb loses some of its capacity to function. When a broken arm is immobilised in a cast, muscles can't function and the arm loses strength. The same is true with your brain. One of the best protections against deterioration of mental function is to stay mentally active you don't let a valuable machine rust. You may feel that your memory isn't as good as it used to be. Some years ago, Dr. Irving Lorge ran a series of tests conclusively proving that older people maintain full mental powers for years if they keep up their active interests. A friend of the late American jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes asked him why he had taken up the study of Greek at the age of 94. Holmes replied, "Why, my good sir, it's now or never." General Douglas MacArthur was 78 when he wrote: "Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul." Friend, if you, like me, are a senior citizen, let me encourage you not to be like the fellow who wrote: "I get up each morning, dust off my wits, Pick up the paper and read the obits. If my name is missing, I know I'm not dead. So I eat a good breakfast and go back to bed." To get the most out of the last third of your life, keep mentally active. Don't lose interest. Stay alert. Keep studying, and you will discover that stretching your mental muscles will keep them wonderfully supple. If you would like some further encouragement as to how to get the most out of your senior years, I'd be happy to send you a small booklet titled: "I'm getting Old". It won't cost you anything and I'll send it to you by return mail. Simply write to Discovering A BETTER LIFE, P.O. Box 1540, Albany WA 6331. If you prefer, you may telephone your request on: 9841 8418 or Email us. The secret of life isn't in what happens to you, but what you do with what happens to you. Norman Vincent Peale

Age is a state of mind,
And 'old' is not useless

Unfortunately, our society has, all too often, stereotyped ageing as "useless, toothless and mindless". How absurd! Certainly, there are some natural declines which hold hands with ageing, but many people adapt beautifully to older age. How? By making a stubborn decision to stay in shape physically, socially, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.

The happy result is a positive image; not of withdrawal, seclusion, elastic stockings, rocking chairs, wrinkles and tears but of fitness, worth, tranquility and beauty. Those who develop this image find the last third of life vibrant and exciting. So if you're getting older, let me encourage you not to yawn your way through the last third of life. Get involved with an invigorating conditioning program for physical, social, emotional, intellectual and spiritual fitness. Intellectual stretching is one exercise that will help you.

Dr. Maxwell Maltz, in his book, Psycho-Cybernetics, wrote: "I have no doubt that you could take a healthy man of 30 and within five years make an 'old man' of him, if you could somehow convince him that he was 'old', that all physical activity was futile. If you could induce him to sit in a rocking chair all day, give up all his dreams for the future, give up all interests in new ideas and regard himself as washed up, worthless, unimportant and non-productive, I am sure that you could experimentally create an old man."

We all know that an unused limb loses some of its capacity to function. When a broken arm is immobilised in a cast, muscles can't function and the arm loses strength.

The same is true with your brain. One of the best protections against deterioration of mental function is to stay mentally active you don't let a valuable machine rust. You may feel that your memory isn't as good as it used to be. Some years ago, Dr. Irving Lorge ran a series of tests conclusively proving that older people maintain full mental powers for years if they keep up their active interests.

A friend of the late American jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes asked him why he had taken up the study of Greek at the age of 94. Holmes replied, "Why, my good sir, it's now or never." General Douglas MacArthur was 78 when he wrote: "Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul."

Friend, if you, like me, are a senior citizen, let me encourage you not to be like the fellow who wrote: "I get up each morning, dust off my wits, Pick up the paper and read the obits. If my name is missing, I know I'm not dead. So I eat a good breakfast and go back to bed." To get the most out of the last third of your life, keep mentally active. Don't lose interest. Stay alert. Keep studying, and you will discover that stretching your mental muscles will keep them wonderfully supple.

If you would like some further encouragement as to how to get the most out of your senior years, I'd be happy to send you a small booklet titled: "I'm getting Old". It won't cost you anything and I'll send it to you by return mail. Simply write to Discovering A BETTER LIFE, P.O. Box 1540, Albany WA 6331. If you prefer, you may telephone your request on: 9841 8418 or Email us.

The secret of life isn't in what happens to you,
but what you do with what happens to you.
Norman Vincent Peale