The Wisdom Side of Aging

Perspective is everything

Billy Joel said, “There’s a place in the world for the angry young man, with his fist in the air and his head in the sand.”  If I were a millennial at this moment in our nation’s history, my anger, angst, and amazement of the stupidity of the generations previous, especially us Boomers, would be off the charts. I’m no millennial, but I feel all the same things. Yet, unlike when I was 24, my mind buffers the reaction with many years of experience—both good and bad— and perspective. If used correctly, I can look for answers, not just issues. The real problem with perspective is that in order to have it, there must be a personal trial and error process that builds to experience.  As a note, it still doesn’t really prepare you for the future.

Focus on the time to think not winning every race

For many years and in most settings, my young mind was programmed to win every race, know every answer and know it fastest.  Today, we are all blessed and or cursed (depending on which you choose) to have all the time to think we desire.  Think about how many times those initial thoughts, gut instincts, and fast decisions were wrong.   Nobody really likes the kid that blurts out the answers to all the questions when the teacher asks. After getting it wrong the first 10,000 times, avoiding that organic urge is a glimmer of hope.

Stop tripping over artificial lines in the sand

We all draw them. Whether for ourselves or for others, when have they ever worked?  “I need to be X by age 30.” “I want to accomplish y by 40.” I need to see progress on z by next Thursday.”  How many have you missed? In my recounting, I think I can safely say I’ve missed them all.  Even though they’re completely fabricated, we respond as if a real line was crossed.  Righteous indignation and lack of patience make us all “dead right.”  Not all deadlines are met and that is just a fact of life. Many people will disappoint you, but the truth is, most of them don’t even consider you into their actions. Patience, and hopping over artificial lines, creates real perspective.  

The grass is green/brown everywhere, it’s just the glasses you chose to wear

Perspective and context rule.  We think about greener pastures, new jobs, new relationships, new surroundings only to discover that, very often, they eventually bring on the same feelings of the things we changed out.  Perspective allows us to realize that we are often the biggest variable in how we feel in all situations. Context forces us to look at the bigger picture, and reminds us that the brown elements are just a part of the puzzle, not the whole thing.  Ultimately you learn that change is good and begins with each of us.

Grey matters, because it does

To quote Cracker, one of my all time favorite bands, “I see a light at the end of the tunnel, someone tell me it’s not a train.” I don’t hear a whistle or feel the vibration on the tracks and for the moment, I’m choosing to believe it’s the beginning glimpses of perspective—a broader contextual view, and dare I say, an inkling of wisdom.  As a baby boomer, like so many of you, our 60s are the time to shine.  We are at the peak of our experience and still have the energy to contribute.  Now that we have grey hair, it does matter.  It comes with the experience and perspective we’ve all worked so tireless to earn. Time to use it or lose it.  For millennials and Z’s, “when will you realize, Vienna waits for you?”