P: In the spring, all kinds of beautiful flowers bloom everywhere in the mountains and the fields. Not only are the flowers beautiful, but the newly budding leaves are also very beautiful. Spring sprouts flourish over the summer, turn into warm colors in the autumn, and eventually wither and fall off the branches. Looking at this natural process, many people say, “Falling autumn leaves look so forlorn.” However, are the falling leaves really forlorn? No, they are not. Those who are looking at the falling leaves are the ones who are feeling sad. Looking at the withered leaves, people feel sad about getting old, thinking to themselves, “My radiant youth is withering away like those leaves.” Are only spring flowers and budding sprouts beautiful? Colored foliage is also very beautiful. Just like we take the time to go to see spring flowers in the spring, we also go to see the colorful foliage in the fall. No matter how pretty a flower, people won’t pick up a fallen flower from the ground to keep. However, they will pick up a beautifully colored autumn leaf to keep in between the pages of a book for a long time.
In life, we are born, grow up, and grow old. If we grow old like beautifully colored fall foliage, aging won’t be such a bad thing. If we age naturally, the way nature changes, we will already be at peace with ourselves. What should we do in order to age as beautifully as autumn foliage? We must let go of our strong desire to stay young and calmly accept growing old. We should simply adapt to the changes without even the thought, “I should age gracefully.” We should view becoming old – getting sick, hair becoming gray, getting wrinkles, and even our legs aching – as a natural process. Usually, a person who has accepted his given situation has a very peaceful demeanor. Looking at this person, people may think, “That person is very bright and confident despite his age.” Such a person can be regarded as aging beautifully like a dazzling colored autumn leaf. Therefore, growing old is not pathetic or miserable but simply natural.
In order to age like a beautifully colored autumn leaf, one should be cautious of any “excessiveness.” There are many undesirable side effects when people give in to excessiveness in their old age. Although it is relatively easy for the young to recover from excessiveness, it is very hard for the elderly to do so.
First of all, the elderly should not overeat. If young people overeat, they can easily recover by taking digestive pills. However, as people get older their digestive abilities weaken so when the elderly overeat, they are likely to get sick. Therefore, no matter how delicious the food may be, they must not overeat.
Secondly, the elderly should not overdrink. When young people drink so much that they cannot walk straight, they will usually recover in a day or two. However, when the elderly overdrink, their health will likely deteriorate significantly.
Thirdly, the elderly should not overwork. When young people overwork, they will recover quickly after getting some rest. However, when the elderly overwork, they usually have difficulty recovering. This is not to say that the elderly shouldn’t do anything. They should stay active to the extent that they don’t overly tax their bodies.
When people grow old, they should not do anything to excess or be greedy as they were in their youth. When young people actively try out different jobs, people will praise them for being brave and motivated. Also, when young people try to do something out of greed, people refer to them as being ambitious. However, if the elderly do the same, people will say they are being greedy in their old age. Moreover, people think well of young people voicing their opinions strongly. The elderly, however, are better off expressing their opinions peacefully and calmly for their own sake and that of the world.
As people grow old, they should try to organize their affairs and wrap things up one by one rather than starting a new business or project. This doesn’t mean that they should give up on life. However, since they are at an age comparable to when trees are bearing fruit and require trimming of small branches, they should wrap things up appropriately.
In addition, instead of lamenting over getting old and trying to regain their youth, people should be able to calmly view themselves and accept that they are aging like the leaves that are gradually taking on their fall colors. Then, they will be able to let go of their greed naturally little by little.
