However, we find little emphasis on the inner, contemplative approach to aging in which we transcend doing in favor of being, learning to plumb our psyche for the spiritual gems of wisdom that come from mining our depths. In other words, aging people need to cultivate the inwardness from which wisdom grows, but our culture celebrates staying in the saddle and being productive in later life without a corresponding emphasis on being contemplative.
Schachter-Shalomi, Zalman; Miller, Ronald S.. From Age-ing to Sage-ing: A Revolutionary Approach to Growing Older . Balance. Kindle Edition.
The wise elder turns from focusing on the outer world to the inner world. The wise elder is not as concerned with promoting health in the body as it ages although those concerns are important, but rather looks inward to spiritual consciousness. The focus is no longer on doing but on being.
The wise elder is interested in maximizing their own potential and that of others and expanding the consciousness of all sentient beings. The goal is to create a world where everybody loves everybody all the time, what some people call heaven.
So the wise elder is centered, has their shit together, and has a well integrated personality. This is achieved by cultivating and enhancing the four cardinal stoic virtues of wisdom, self regulation, courage, and justice. The wise elder has achieved so much happiness, peace, satisfaction, and fulfillment in their life that it simply spills over onto everything that comes into their path.
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