Everyone is being pursued by Death. Death approaches us in the form of old age. We say:

"I am getting old, I don't feel like my old self anymore."

Instead of lamenting like this, we should look at the positive aspects of old age. For instance, it's good not to feel like our old self. We need to let go of our old self and be transformed into the New Self. This is a natural process: the aging process is natural and it's a blessing in disguise.

In old age the body and its functions are diminished. The eyes no longer see as sharply, the ears can't hear as well, and even the tasty things are not so desirable anymore. But with these decreases in our sense perception, our spiritual wisdom is augmented if we have learned to direct our attention inward. In fact, the older we get the easier it should be to realize True Happiness. An aged human being is experienced in the ways of the world and is not as likely to be deceived by its false promises. The older we are, the more mature we become. The more mature we are, the less gullible we become.

When we are young and inexperienced we can be easily misled by the fraudulent people. The biggest fraud is our own ego, and immature minds are easily defrauded. But the mind that has been filled for many years with deep wisdom becomes very sharp and is a great asset in our old age (an in every age!)

Unfortunately, few people take the time to train and condition their minds with soul-knowledge. When we fill our mind with lots of facts, images, grudges, incidents, and stories, our mind becomes over burdened and eventually breaks down. This sometimes happens to old people: they carry with them all the memories of yesteryear—the old friends, business associates, worldly achievements, unfulfilled ambitions, former status, old and new pains, and the fear of loss and impending death. This negative mind-set is the greatest liability of and old person, because it robs them of their remaining vitality.

It is never too late to recondition our mind. To repair the damage done by past neglect, we need to get busy NOW with nurturing our mind with good thoughts. We need a daily dose of wisdom to ward off the mental illnesses associated with old age; these mental illnesses are stubbornness (mental inflexibility), lack of hope, withdrawal and depression. Young people can give old people renewed hope, and it's the duty of the younger to care for the aged with tender loving care. The children need to care for their aged parents and should not be so busy with their own worldly gains and losses that they lose touch with their responsibility to care for their elders.

One who has all the facilities of youth—a strong and healthy body and the capacity to acquire, maintain, and distribute material resources—yet squanders his time and money on selfish pleasures and shallow friendships—such a person is actually decrepit, decaying, and dying. The real definition of a youthful person is one who lives in the renewal of their own being, who remains ever fresh in consciousness and never gets bogged down with old memories and images. There are youthful persons in their eighties, and there are people who are only in their early twenties who are completely run down and worn out.

Youthfulness and old age are more a state of mind than a state of body. Youthfulness and old age are really attitudes. "Our good attitude will make us, our bad attitude will break us." As we get older we need to guard ourselves against complacency and we need to avoid the trap of becoming 'set in our ways.' We should remain firm in our principles but not obstinate about our preferences. More importantly, we need to remain open to change for the better—at every age—from our first breath to our last. But if we get stuck in our images we will become old, stale, and moldy.

We need to shape our lives according to the principles of creation, not according to the dictates of our ego and image-cluttered mind. We should become like the ancient Vedic sages who lived a wholesome life from the beginning to the end. When we live a life completely filled with pure wisdom, we feel the absolute fullness and then there is never any problem of identity. In other words, when our thoughts and actions are in concert with the ways of the divine, we never feel disconcerted at any time, regardless of how old we may be. The mental turmoil is the result of not having understood our real nature. If we know our True Self we will not feel disappointed or lonely in our old age. On the other hand, if we have made our mind into a scrapbook of old memories and images, then we will definitely be dissatisfied, bored, and lonely.

When our mental and physical faculties begin to fail us in our old age, our ego and individuality will not come to our aid. All of the temporary friends and relatives will either be dead or too busy with their own hallucinations.

In the later years of life (and in every year of our life!) the best friends are our own good practices, the best relatives are our good habits, and the best insurance is the company of noble souls.