The Overlooked Evangelism Opportunity: A Different Perspective on Church Growth event has been postponed due to weather.  Stay tuned for more information.

A Grandson asked, “Grandpa, how old are you?” The Grandfather replied, "I was born before: television, penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, contact lenses and Frisbee. There were no credit cards, laser beams, or ball-point pens. Man had not invented: pantyhose, air conditioners, dishwashers, clothes dryers, and man hadn’t yet walked on the moon!” Grandpa continued, “In my day, “grass” was mowed, “coke” was a cold drink, “pot” was something your mother cooked in, “rock music” was your grandmother’s lullaby, “Aids” were helpers in the Principal’s office, “chip” meant a piece of wood, “hardware” was found in a hardware store, and “software” wasn’t even a word!” This Grandpa would only be 60 years old! (Author Unknown)
 
There is a stubborn myth that those over 65 are “over the hill,” in their “golden years,” or “out to pasture.” It is widely thought by our culture that successful aging is slowing the inevitable decline of our minds and body. Research by Dr. Gene Cohen of George Washington University, has heralded some profound thinking about thinking in his book, The Mature Mind”. Instead of our minds becoming more useless as we age, the truth is that some of the most precious of life’s gifts, such as wisdom and mastery of many of life experiences, can be acquired in greater capacity after decades of learning for those who embrace the potential growth.
 

"Forest-dwelling is not necessarily retirement; it is more a state of mind than a plan of action," says Wendy Doniger, a professor religion who has studied comparative mythology and the life-course.  For an account of how she now practices what she's preached, look at: http://newsaarp.org/UM/T.asp?A910.52852.7112.5.3556390

Doniger's approach may seem far removed from today's "hyper- active society" but it's more familiar in the East.  According to traditional Hinduism, spiritual freedom is the ultimate goal of life, to be attained by introspection and meditation.  Aging as part of the total life-course was understood to be crucial in ancient Hindu culture, which divided life into four major stages (ashramas).

The first stage is discipleship, or learning from a guru.  The second stage is the householder, based on marriage and family.  The third stage is becoming a forest-dweller, devoted to the study of scripture.  The fourth stage is complete renunciation, becoming a Sanyasin, which may also include teaching others as part of the path of transcendence.

For more on the four Ashramas of life, see:  http://news.aarp.org/UM/T.asp?A910.52852.7112.6.3556390

See also Shrinivas Tilak, RELIGION AND AGING IN THE INDIAN TRADITION (SUNY Press, 1989).

For a contemporary application of these ideas, see Thomas Armstrong, THE HUMAN ODYSSEY: Navigating the Twelve Stages of Life (Sterling, 2007).