The Human Odyssey by Thomas Armstrong

The Human Odyssey by Thomas Armstrong

Author:Thomas Armstrong
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dover Publications
Published: 2019-02-14T16:00:00+00:00


THE GIFT OF MIDLIFE: CONTEMPLATION

Most people are familiar with Auguste Rodin’s sculpture The Thinker, which shows a middle-aged man deep in thought. Few individuals, however, know that Rodin originally modeled this image on that of Dante Alighieri, the Italian poet who began his monumental work The Divine Comedy with the sober evaluation of his midlife crisis that began this chapter. If there is anything unique to midlife as a stage of human development, it seems to be contemplation. By the time a person reaches thirty-five or forty, she has accumulated enough adult life experience to deserve a good mulling over. She also has achieved enough brain maturity to be able to engage in a process of deeper reflection and evaluation. Many things happen in midlife that merit contemplation: the body is getting older, children are growing up, work roles may be changing, relationships may be going through a transition. We’ve already seen in this chapter how some societies have traditionally set aside time for people in midlife to engage in a period of reflection, during which they can probe into their psyches to find potentials that will help them move successfully into subsequent stages of life and enrich the quality of their culture.

This gift of contemplation in midlife is valuable at any time during adulthood. Even in early adulthood, when the focus tends to be on adapting to society, there is still a need for taking time out to reflect on where one is going in life, and on what the ultimate meaning of life may be. But especially as we age in midlife and beyond, we often find ourselves becoming increasingly inner-directed and need time to contemplate life’s mysteries and our place in the universe. We may discover that we’re paying more attention to nighttime dreams and daytime intuitions. We may find that deep reflection turns into prayer or meditation, and opens up new philosophical, religious, or spiritual horizons (traditionally, mystics such as Saint Teresa of Avila, Jakob Böhme, Jalalu’l-Din Rumi, and Isaac Luria were often referred to as “contemplatives”). We may decide to turn our contemplations into an integral part of our lifestyle through meditation, periodic retreats, or by staying mindful in the midst of everyday life. However we choose to gaze inwardly, we can be sure that our contemplations will enrich us by bringing insight, tranquility, or even a new sense of identity into our lives.

WAYS TO EXPLORE AND SUPPORT MIDLIFE

FOR YOURSELF

• Keep a journal of your dreams, visions, reflections, and feelings as you begin to experience the sense of becoming an older person.

• Make a list of all the things you want to do in your life before you die. Then start doing them.

• Go over the goals you’ve had for your life as an adult, and see if they are still relevant to your current life. If not, then modify them accordingly.

FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY

• Gather friends into a “midlife” support group that meets regularly to discuss social, emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual changes going on in your lives.



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