I read William Kho’s post “Old Hobby but New Toy and reflected on my experience in photography through the years. We usually take all our pictures at eye level – the standard angle or level we see the world. Hence, subjects taken from such an angle may look ordinary. But things look very different when we take pictures from a shallow angle or high above. It is very much like how we look at life. Some say they have seen and done everything (after many years of doing the same things in the same, predictable way). So now life has become monotonous. But exploring approaches and learning new skills can be refreshing and invigorating. Why not start by looking at our life from different perspectives and in greater depth?
A convenient point of departure is a picture by Professor Foo Keong Tatt. The learned professor takes (mindful) walks in the Singapore Botanical Gardens, stopping now and then to record what he sees and succinctly summarise his reflections in a verse or poem (usually in Chinese).
I would translate the verse人生不在年龄，贵在心理年轻as “Our life does not depend on our chronological age but on how young we feel in our heart. We view age and ageing differently. While growing old is usually associated with wisdom, some tend to disagree, believing age has nothing to do with maturity. For them, age is just numbers and does not define character nor dictate how anyone’s life should be lived. You are as old as you think you are, or age is whatever you think it is.
Attitude determines how we look at this world. Staying young at heart is all in one’s attitude… you can’t instil that in anyone (Rita Moreno), and “Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” (Satchel Paige). Abraham Lincoln believed, “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” Hence, age is an issue of mind over matter – if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.
But there is no getting away with what age does to our body – “People say that age is just a state of mind. I say it’s more about the state of your body.” (Geoffrey Parfitt). We must acknowledge that though we are OK inside, the “house” we live in crumbles away as more parts become irreparable. Yet some enlightened souls can keep living with exceptional vigour – “My youthful heart still holds the buoyancy of promise. Even though it is scarred by the ravages of time, there is still hope and possibilities to explore.” (Andrew Pacholyk)
The hope, enthusiasm, and zest for life characterise being young at heart. Regardless of how bad the past has been, every youth believes next year will be better. It is easy to age when there is nothing to believe in or hope for. “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” (C.S. Lewis). But sometimes, we use age as a convenient excuse by saying we are too old to start something new, or we could not learn that at their age. Yet, many others went on to achieve their most significant accomplishments in life in later years. Henry David Thoreau’s words are comforting, “None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm”, and Samuel Ullman’s belief is lovely, “Nobody grows old merely by living several years. We grow old by deserting our ideas. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.”
Enthusiasm is how we feel when we are young at heart. But how is that reflected in what we do?
To be continued in Part II
Vince
Dr Vincent Chong is a retired Professor of Radiology at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore.
