(ANALYSIS) Aging is often feared, fought against and in the cruellest cases mocked and even punished.
Louise Aronsona geriatrician and author of the book “Elderly”, she puts it well when she says elderly people seeking care are often perceived as unnecessary, even when the intention is benign. In the workplace In general, being a parent seems to suggest it’s useless.
Many older people are haunted by an irrational but socially reinforced feeling that they have failed in some way. Reporter Ali Pattillo writes in National Geographic: “Nobody wants to be old, especially as stereotypes about aging have become more negative… creating what some are calling a global crisis of ageism.”
I am one scholar of South Asian studies whose work has focused on the transformation of Indian society through British colonization, which led to the loss of pre-colonial values, knowledge and customs. I am aware of it The Teachings of Hinduism about the different stages of life – the four ashramas – knowledge that is lost today.
This model of human life could provide guidance on how to age more gracefully.
The four ashrama model
The concept of the four ashramas has existed since 500 BCE. and is described in detail in: Hindu classical ancient texts. It is integrated with the idea of Purushartaor the four proper goals of life in Hindu philosophy, namely dharma or morality; artha, or wealth; kama, or love; and moksha – liberation.
In ancient literature brahmacharya, the first stage, or ashramaIt is said to begin at the age of seven, with a young boy being assigned a guru or teacher, who studies hard and observes ascetic discipline and self-control, including total celibacy until the next ashrama.
In the next ashrama, known as grihasthaIt is said that the boy, now a young man, is transitioning from academic learning to embracing worldly affairs. Grihastha is a crucial period in an individual’s life: providing for a decent family, building wealth ethically and having children.
Came around the age of 50 vanaprasthawhen one was expected to initiate the process of renunciation of the world. It began with a detachment from family life and a gradual movement towards an existence free of worldly burdens and obligations. It was the equivalent of semi-retirement and retirement today.
Last came sanyasa, or total renunciation – a time to completely disconnect from the world, desires and fears, at about the age of 75. The sanyasi left their homes, retreated to the forest, became teachers and modeled how to achieve ultimate spiritual liberation.
Every age is not a breathless race
Given the increased lifespan of humans now, the timeline indicated above for each phase should be interpreted as fluid and variable. However, broadly speaking, Hinduism is a good approximation of such stages and ways of life at different ages. Everyone, regardless of race, gender, nationality and age, can learn from the ashramas. Every age and every stage of life does not have to be lived as a breathless race.
The ideal of the four ashramas proposes to live hard and play according to one’s natural capabilities at every point in life. And if the race has gone well, one can and may slow down, disconnect and start another journey.
In his collection of poems called “The forest of eternity”, Paul Zweig, who faced his own untimely death from cancer, envisioned life after death as a liberation from the tormenting coils of mortals, just as Hindu philosophers did in conceptualizing life as stages of natural progression toward liberation from the struggle and suffering of the world, and towards transcendence.
This ideal of four stages in Hindu philosophy teaches us that one does not have to live in the eternal mentality of averting a change in abilities, but rather live the life of each stage to the full, both actively and contemplatively, on the ebb and flow of changes. the human condition.
This piece is republished from The conversation.