Don't Get Too Paltry

[poliphilo]

An aged man is but a paltry thing,
A tattered coat upon a stick, unless
Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing
For every tatter in its mortal dress,

Yeah, that's what I think too- only Yeats took it too far with that monkey gland treatment which turned him into a randy old muppet and probably killed him early. There's an art to growing old. You gotta let go, but not so your brain starts turning to porridge.  Listen, the world belongs to the young and anyone over a certain age ought to get out of the road and go sit under a bo-tree- but not so far out of the way as to be out of sight and hailing distance of passing traffic. There's this wisdom thing, see, and this death's head thing; both of which the old should cultivate and present to the young with a teasing smile so the young know they've got it coming.

Comments

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

There's this wisdom thing, see, and this death's head thing; both of which the old should cultivate. and present to the young with a teasing smile so the young know they've got it coming.

I have to smile because more and more I am sounding like my parents. You never admit the wisdom of the old until you start approaching that state yourself and when you´re over 50 that starts hitting home with frightening frequency. The young(er)folk may scorn us and our wisdom but all we have to do is smile that enigmatic smile and chuckle inwardly.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It wouldn't actually be a good thing if the young paid too much attention to the old. They're here to make their mistakes and profit from them and take their places under the bo tree- ALL IN DUE COURSE.