Most people are aware that their physical well being
will start to decline when they reached the half century mark (maybe even earlier) … as a matter of
fact, it is actually declining faster than they think. But many choose to
ignore that or refuse to acknowledge it … some even say they actually feel better
than when they were younger. They know very well that is not true.
So what do they do?
There will be some who will go to war with nature … an anti
aging war. Though it is a very misleading term in the health and beauty
business but “anti aging” is also one of the most believed terms for those who
desperately want to think that one can stop growing old. From hiding gray
hairs to enzyme supplements to cosmetic treatments to complex procedures … many
faithfully submit to these processes thinking that they can stop or even
reverse the effect of time.
Come on, don’t kid yourself … when you have lived more than
50 years, you should know better. The truth is … going against aging is a costly
and frustrating war you will never win.
This is what I think … to see gray hair is fortunate … some
people don’t get to live old enough to see gray hairs. Wrinkles? That is
absolutely fine too … it is just on the face not in your heart.
Then there are many of those who said … look, I can still run a
marathon! They boast about hiking the G7 mountains.Yes, many in my age
group have this urge to participate in challenging activities. Not that they
love the sport or they have a passion for it … quite a few have not
even engage in anything that includes running or hiking in their younger days.
But when they grow older, there is this urge to show or to prove to themselves
(really, it is more to show others) that they can do it.
Strange but true … many think that by being able to run a
marathon or hike up a mountain means that age has no effect on them … they like
to think that if they can still do what a 30-year-old does then they have not
aged at all. That is just bullshit but still there are a lot who want to think
like that.
The truth is … if you feel that by being able to do what a
30-year-old does and that means physically you have not age at all … you
have just wasted the last 20 plus years of your life.
Running, hiking or trekking (plus other challenging activities)
is not about proving what you can still do or proving that you are still able
to do what a younger person does. I salute those who run because of their
genuine passion for marathons, those who hike because of their lifelong aspiration
to conquer the peaks and those who trek simply because they love to bask in beautiful
surroundings of the natural jungles.
And it gets stranger … there are quite a few of those who think they can take the easy way to just buy
back their youth, their health or their well being. I will come back to this point … first, allow me to build the setting for the story.
Look, we all need money … no money, you are in trouble. That
is a fact. So go make money and make as much as you can. But remember this …
there is no freebies in this world. You give some, you take some and the
question is … what are you giving in return for what you take?
The problem is … people just don’t know when to stop in the race
for money … when they make some, they want more. It is always a bigger car or a
bigger house or a better lifestyle and it is very hard to say enough. Over the years,
they continue to remain oblivious to what they are giving away until it starts
to affect their health, which in turn affects their families … then, it is too late
already.
Here is my point … with the money they made, they willingly pay
for the best medical treatments hoping that they can buy a cure that will bring back their health. The unfortunate truth is ... the best medical treatments have no guarantees.
And then there are stories about “magic potions” and “miracle cures” …
luring those who are desperate enough to pay thousands of dollars believing
that they can bring back their youth with magic and solve their health problems
with miracles. The sad truth is … in modern time of science and scientific
facts, there are still those who believe that Snow White and the seven dwarfs
actually exist.
A lot of people simply did not plan out the various stages of
their lives … maybe they are busy trying to make a better living … when they
realized how quickly time passes by, they whine about time running out.
So maybe now you want plan what to do with the last
remaining few chapters of your life and live accordingly. Don’t fool yourself
trying to be young ... thinking that you can pluck another 20 years out of thin air.
Look, the truth is … from the half century mark onwards,
things will go downhill faster than you think … regardless of what you want to
believe. Yes, time is running out and many will complain that life is too short.
But come to think about it … is life really too short? Did it ever cross your
mind that maybe you took too long to start living it?
