The world is ageing and ageing fast in many countries. A greying population presents something of an existential challenge: how does one make the most of one’s remaining years and live a truly fulfilling life? A fulfilling retirement involves more than just financial security. Seniors need the company of good friends more than ever. They also need to have a sense of purpose even when they are alone. That too, can be a challenge, especially for people who have never planned anything beyond financial security. But it’s not too late. The world is always “open for business,” always full of interesting experiences waiting to be discovered. Entire new worlds can be experienced when we pick up a new hobby or learn a new skill. The sky is literally the limit; we just need to be curious and allow ourselves to be astonished. In line with this theme, I share three poems and one video clip that I hope will encourage the seniors among us to engage actively with people and ideas that add meaning to our lives. It is one of the ways an aging world can age much more gracefully.

MIRROR by Wallace Fong

We think we live fuller
the longer we live, but
what we really experience
is the numbing of the body,
days when we could be a star
but chose to be a stone,
when we could sing and paint
but we merely breathed
and call that living.

Now the days are long and
the years are short, and
each time you look in the mirror,
you see a hundred other lives unlived.

It’s not too late. Look again.
Say you will keep your promise.
Say to him who was you that
you will do everything you can
to recover the forces of your youth.
Tell him that inside, you are
ageless.  

The next poem is “One Heart” by the Korean American poet, Li-Young Lee. Lee’s poem is noted for its beauty and power. It is a rallying call to treasure our freedom to be authentic, to take risks, to soar.

ONE HEART by Li-Young Lee

Look at the birds. Even flying
is born

out of nothing. The first sky
is inside you, open

at either end of day.
The work of wings
was always freedom, fastening
one heart to every falling thing.

With just eight lines, Lee prods the reader to find inspiration in the everyday, like a bird relishing its freedom to explore the world with its wings. Some of us may think that this is only for people with special gifts like artists, poets or musicians. But Lee urges us to be more positive about ourselves. “Even flying is born out of nothing,” implying that we must try. He further reminds us that the sky is inside us, meaning we are bigger than we think; we just have to discover ourselves and find our innate gifts and passion. The poem acknowledges that there could be challenges. Age for one or feeling discouraged that few people share our interests, but Lee encourages us to soldier on, never giving up, and latching our hearts to “every falling thing.”

WATCH

We can all live more fully, live with a enduring sense of awe and wonder, for it’s a great privilege to be here while it lasts; it’s a great privilege just to be.

THESE DAYS (after Jenny Zhang)

These days
will be significant.
I shall reclaim my name.
I will compose myself
and release something
soft and radiant
into my soul, then
pour it out to the world.