Some time ago I read somewhere the following phrase: "No wise person ever wanted to be younger again", a phrase that never ceased to amaze me. In my circle of people, I do nothing but hear the praises of youthful beauty, or the physical and mental energy that characterizes our young age. And yet, now that I have unwittingly reached the age they call advanced, it is not difficult for me to understand the meaning of that curious sentence. If we think carefully about what the so-called old age consists of, we see that it is a time of life almost without responsibilities, made up of days that only taste of total freedom, and with endless hours dedicated to reflecting on what our journey on this earth was like. It is true that, for many of us, for one reason or another, old age will be disturbed by a deep feeling of loneliness. However, as I mention in my book The Secret of Loneliness, this feeling is based on our nostalgia for what is no longer ours and can be dispelled. As human beings, we are terrified of change, and we refuse to accept the fact that everything in our existence is inevitably impermanent. It is only when we accept the losses of life that we can begin to realize that a new present is always waiting for us impatiently. Once the feeling of loneliness is over, when we open the window of our room and look at the horizon, we feel invaded by a peace and serenity that can only be felt in the last stage of our life.
