Old Age
There's a syndrome that overtakes people when they approach
middle age. In men it can take the form of taking on a young mistress (if that
option’s available), getting a motorbike, tattoos and other attributes of youth.
In women in can take the form of getting a ‘toy boy’, and dressing in young
fashions. Both sexes nowadays are taking on cosmetics, plastic surgery and other
paraphernalia to look young.
In a desperate effort to stay young looking – and young thinking – these people
ignore the benefits that age brings about. There's a perception that old people
are fixed in their ideas (‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks’). This may
be true in some instances as it is more difficult for an older brain to adapt
its neurological pathways. It is not impossible though. However, there is a
gradual change that takes place where thinking moves away from the brain altogether.
The view of the brain as being the centre of consciousness is relatively new.
In the past the heart (or more strictly, the area of the body at the centre
between the shoulders) was considered the centre of consciousness. It was only
when intellectual thinking became predominant that the brain took over.
This
site shows that a brain isn't even necessary!
With old age, thinking moves away from the brain to other areas of the body. This means that intellectual thinking becomes slower. I know from experience that strictly intellectual problem solving is subtly reduced, but this is more than compensated by experience and being able to see the broad picture.
The idea of thinking outside of the brain seems odd to people indoctrinated by Western thinking but for an illustration of this you may want to consider the following: If you mistype a word then you know immediately that there is a problem. Your fingers know before your brain does. Brain scanning does not prove that the brain initiates thought – only that it responds and reflects thought.
It’s a shame that the experience that old age brings is not more widely appreciated, as it is in some Eastern cultures, but on the other hand old people (or older, we’re not necessarily talking about pensioners here) have only themselves to blame as in many cases they are trying to regain their youth rather than appreciating the benefits that age brings.
