Inner Truth: Age and Usefulness

International Day of Older Persons on October 1 will raise awareness of the challenges faced by senior citizens and highlight their contributions.   

So here’s a timely question: Is there an expiration date to a person’s usefulness?

The answer lies in how we view ourselves.  Thinking we’re growing old and useless, and fearing it, is not conducive to what WHO terms “healthy/active ageing”.  The alternative? Recognise our innate spirituality.   

The unique ways we each express spiritual qualities enable us to be contributing members of society.  Qualities like honesty, kindness and generosity don’t age or become frail and useless.  Instead they continue to develop and blossom with the wisdom of experience.  

Focusing on our unique spiritual identity helps us “shape our views of existence into loveliness, freshness, and continuity, rather than into age and blight” (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures). Doing so, we see usefulness is ageless.  Then “older” or not, we can actively contribute to the wellbeing of our families, communities and the world.  

The author is a practitioner of Christian Science healing

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