Our village has grown tremendously this last month, and I want to personally welcome everyone who is joining us. We do our best to keep it positive, optimistic, and useful; as such, we pride ourselves on being responsive and transparent. If you have a question, a problem, or just a comment, you can reach out to us by hitting reply on this newsletter. If we don’t have an answer for you, we will go to our super resourceful AGEIST village and ask them for you. We are here to be as helpful as possible to everyone.
Allegedly, Albert Einstein, confused on the street, telephoned his wife asking the fundamental question, Who am I and where am I going? Even for us lesser geniuses, these are often the questions we grapple with. Of course, one could always just put a stake in the ground and declare: This is who I am, who I have always been, and I am not changing. In other words, declare one’s refusal to evolve. However, whether we like it or not, our bodies are changing, the world is changing, and, although we can stomp our feet in denial, which can go on for a long time, ultimately, we need to adapt. On the one hand, it is such a bother to keep learning and growing; on the other hand, this life is amazing — to be alive is to grow. Given a choice, I know which one most of us would pick. We are not the same people we were at 20, 30, or 40 and, although I am 65, for better or worse, this is not how I will be at 75, 85 or 95.
Where we are going, what our passions, interests and ambitions are, are entirely dependent on who we feel we are. We are all in a constant dynamic state, which leads to that ever-present question in the back of my mind, and maybe yours: Who am I and where am I going? Am I being realistic about who I am, and am I setting the correct life course for who I am? I admire people who, at least outwardly, seem to have this all figured out, and who have a clear life plan for the next 25 years. I do, however, wonder if this is a form of self-denial or deep self-knowledge. The inner workings of another’s mind are not something I will know. Even the people we have spoken to who seem not to be muddling through, have questions and curiosities about where they are headed and what life will be like for them in 10 or 20 years. If this were 1965, the future for people like us would be clearer and, unfortunately, much shorter. The possible extensions in our life- and healthspans lead to a whole new set of life questions. The good news is, we are all in this together; although we may not be able to look to the past for role models, we can look to each other.
Onward and upward,
David
