“Nothing reduces the odds against you like ignoring them.”
~ Robert Brault“If man were relieved of all superstition, and all prejudice, and had replaced these with a keen sensitivity to his real environment, and moreover had achieved a level of communication so simplified that one syllable could express his every thought, then he would have achieved the level of intelligence already achieved by his dog.” Robert Brault
It is always so difficult for us to change our ways or ideas or beliefs. We sometimes blame it on age. I have heard it said that you can’t alter people after they are older and “set” in their ways. That to me is like saying we lose our thought processes. As long as we have the ability to reflect and analyze, then we have the ability to amend what isn’t working in our lives and relationships. Maybe alteration is elusive because it demands effort, abandonment of old ideas, uncertainty and some faith in the outcome.
It may at times feel like we are allowing others to dictate how we should think or feel. We blindly oppose it. Other times we are too tired to reflect that much about an issue we believe is not really related to us personally. We also get so comfortable in our own niche that it would be upsetting to let go of the old and begin the new. Alterations to many areas of our lives are inevitable. Kids begin school, enter college, get married and have children of their own. They make decisions we may not always agree with but sometimes being the parent, we won’t admit that they may be right in regards to anything. I wonder why it is we feel that to allow anyone else to have a better idea or way of doing something is always a struggle. We have difficulty in approving anything until it is tried and tested.
I can understand how it must bother long time employees who regard the new kid on the block as the upshot knows it all. In just a look of disdain from them to us fills us with jealousy, nervousness, and anger at our dismissal. After all, we have put a lifetime into our career and don’t deserve such demeanor from a person who hasn’t yet tread the water long enough to stay afloat.
At times we forget their young tender age. It should be so obvious how much they have to learn. Their fall from grace will be harder than our own because they are so positive they know it all. If anything I might pity their attitude knowing their inexperience with power may one day have a reckoning. I must admit their enthusiasm can fill a person with renewed faith in life. They haven’t yet been knocked down so they feel invincible. To work with them might be a win because their positive attitude would fill a person with hope.
As we get older we lose our hope of winning, gaining, pride, self-esteem and being able to change anything. that is the crux. We feel helpless and out of control when we have no hope. Age can add to this helpless feeling. When so many attempts are met with failure we just give it up. In order to change anything anybody or ourselves we must keep our hope alive. Many choices have abandoned us but there are always more choices within reach.
Having faith and belief in differentiation is important. Even if the change is not totally what we expected, it is still a leap in another direction and a step out of the mud that holds us down. We don’t have to keep everything the same. We can switch up our yard, room, house, work area, job, hobbies, and especially our attitudes, beliefs, and bad habits. No matter the age we can transform. If we give up we have lost before we even made an attempt. Don’t use age as a crutch to disengage from life. Being older may gain us more insight into the goals we want to achieve. Life-related goals may be worthier than work-related. Young or old search for truth and strive for betterment.
“We are kept from our goal not by obstacles but by a clear path to a lesser goal.” Robert Brault
“Why be saddled with this thing called life expectancy? Of what relevance to an individual is such a statistic? Am I to concern myself with an allotment of days I never had and was never promised? Must I check off each day of my life as if I am subtracting from this imaginary hoard? No, on the contrary, I will add each day of my life to my treasure of days lived. And with each day, my treasure will grow, not diminish.” Robert Brault
