Five Things The Elderly Man Has Lost Interest In

“One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman. He never laments nor desires to have anything; he is equally disposed to every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.54)

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ब्रह्म-भूतः प्रसन्नात्मा
न शोचति न काङ्क्षति
समः सर्वेषु भूतेषु
मद्-भक्तिं लभते पराम्

brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā
na śocati na kāṅkṣati
samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām

1. Vendetta with former friends

“Yeah, I remember that. They took the cheap way out. I was disappointed in them. I never would have behaved the same way. But what can you do? That is life. I would be thrilled to meet them again. There is no lingering resentment. I hold no animosity. What is that going to do for me, anyway? If I curse them out, if I really let them have it, what will that change? Nothing.”

2. The latest political changes

“Yeah, I understand that you are excited. I don’t want to dampen your spirits, but I have been through so many of these ‘reforms’ before. Take a look at that interview from fifty years ago, from that person who would later become leader of the nation. The things he is complaining about, the problems in government, are exactly the same ones people worry about today. These things go in cycles. Nothing ever really changes. Only the unhappiness is steady.”

3. Impressing others

“Yeah, I understand that is important to you, but I gave up a long time ago. I no longer care. Think about it; these people are no different than you. They have the same fears. The same struggles. The same insecurities. They will one day be gone from this world. What does it really matter what they think? Unless your job depends on reputation, you shouldn’t be so eager to live the way others want you to.”

4. Arguing endlessly

“I love a good, honest debate. I like to exchange ideas. I love it when a thinker goes against conventional wisdom and offers a different opinion. But I have come to learn that most people do not like to be challenged. They get very defensive. They are not as open as I am. They would rather not think too much. At least that has been my experience. I have learned to let go. What difference does it really make? Am I really going to convince them of something? Even if I do, they will never give me the proper credit.”

5. Fearing the latest calamity

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Just two more weeks. A few more of those face coverings and you will soon stop any air from entering at all. Of course, then you won’t have air to breathe, either. These people are not too smart. But I learned that a long time ago. They are fraudsters trying to make sure there are no exceptions to their rules; otherwise the cheating can be easily exposed. An honest scientific experiment features a control group. Without one, you can claim any conclusion and there is no evidence to challenge it.

“I have lost all my family members that I grew up with. What can be worse than that? You cannot scare me with this lonely existence when I am experiencing loneliness for many years now. That is the guaranteed fate of everyone, in case you haven’t noticed. They will not fool me with their ridiculous promises.”

…

In the following fictional setting used to depict a situation common and steady throughout recorded history, since the very Vedas were first passed down, we have a mother confronting a visiting preacher of the science of self-realization. She was respectful at first. It was in her upbringing to be kind to saintly people, to welcome them at home as if one of the devas were visiting. She follows the Sanskrit teaching of atithi devo bhava, with the emphasis on the guest who visits unexpectedly.

The preacher accepted the hospitality, the gracious welcome, the refreshing beverages to drink, and the water used to wash their feet. They were humbled by the generosity and kindness of the hosts. They then felt free to speak on spiritual topics, after being asked to do so. The mother and father in this situation have a young son. The message applies to each resident of the home, but the parents are already fixed in their occupation.

The mother is worried that her son will take the message too seriously. She finally decides to speak up. She offers the following as a rebuke, in a visible deviation from the standard etiquette in dealing with a revered guest:

“I am sorry, but you are going to spoil my son’s future. You have the outlook of an elderly man; someone in their nineties. Have you ever met such a person? They barely care about anything. Nothing bothers them. They have zero ambition left. They no longer look to amass accomplishments. They are content sitting peacefully, enjoying time with loved ones. If none are around, they still make it through the day without issue.

“Why are you trying to instill this outlook in a young person? They have many years of productivity ahead of them. The whole world is available. The sky is the limit; the potential is real. Why are you shutting everything out? It is okay that you have renounced the world, but why should everyone else? Let them experience it first. What do you have to gain by spoiling their future?”

We see from the above review that the elderly person does tend to have a lower interest with respect to vengeance, vendettas, fear of a new calamity, and the like. Their outlook is based on both experience and intelligence. They have been through so much already. Why should they change now? What is in it for them?

As a thought exercise, what if we could inherit the same outlook, but at a much younger age? Prior to reaching the stage of retirement. Prior to losing the vim and vigor of youth. Prior to the gradual dismantling of abilities previously taken for granted, such as walking and waking up without pain. The outlook is nothing more than a reflection of consciousness. What if we could acquire a similar consciousness in a shorter amount of time?

Indeed, on one side there would be something to fear. The concerns of the mother are valid in the context of enjoying, bhoga. But the appeal from Vedic culture is that there will be something much better on the other side. Repeal and replace. There will be a higher taste to experience. That taste is available at any stage of life, but if a person has the opportunity, if they somehow come to know of it, what is the harm in at least giving thought to that option?

विषया विनिवर्तन्ते
निराहारस्य देहिनः
रस-वर्जं रसो ऽप्य् अस्य
परं दृष्ट्वा निवर्तते

viṣayā vinivartante
nirāhārasya dehinaḥ
rasa-varjaṁ raso ‘py asya
paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate

“The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.59)

The picture of the renounced saintly person, fixed in meditation, so focused on a name that it seems to be both the beginning and end of their happiness, which constantly renews, is based on the position of elderly wisdom. It starts from renunciation, and the service from that situation is what maintains that renunciation in the external sense, while the bliss inside continues to expand, far beyond anything the material world can hold.

In Closing:

The elderly no longer to care,
Of time’s influence aware.

Not holding onto that grudge,
Not so quickly others to judge.

What if that renunciation instilled,
At young age inspiration filled?

Vedas this position to create,
For eternal dharma to reinstate.