As I Age...

I have started my fourth book. Not on management - but on the subject of Ageing.

But, midway into writing this book, I suddenly had a doubt. “Who am I writing this for? ”It is full of boring science, requiring a painstaking reading of dull and “difficult-to-read” research papers and books on the subject. It meant straying into the fiercely protected preserve of doctors and health professionals. “Who for..”, I wondered. “ Who was I doing all this work for? Will anyone really be interested to read the book?”. The young anyway are too involved in the process of enjoying their youth , to bother about a distant problem of ageing. The middle aged are so tied up with the problems of coping up with a difficult world, that they just don’t have the time for this. For the old, it seems to be ?too late , to worry about ageing – as they are already there. Who then, am I writing this book for??

I almost stopped writing mid-way, till it hit me. I realised that I was writing this book for myself. It was my journal of enquiry into what was happening to me and would/ could? happen to me in the decades to come. I wanted to know why my mother at 93 suffers from dementia, why she has difficulty in walking, why she still refuses to believe that she is old. I wanted to understand the constant pain that an old aunt seems to be going through. She has no apparent infection, her illness markers seem to be fine – yet she was writhing in pain all over. Was it all in her mind? I also wanted to know why my father could drive a car in a busy and unruly road till 10 days before his death at 93 . I wanted to know why ageing, though chronologically the same, was different for different people.

?At the age of 71, I knew that I was getting there soon and I wanted to know the mechanics of ageing. I wanted clarity on what science has learned about this inevitable process that we all go through. I was curious to know ?if any of it was in our control. I wanted to know if there was anything I or anybody could do or undo in the way we live our lives, to make our years in this planet not just long but also painless and purposeful till the last breath. I wanted to know if it was already too late for me. This is why I wrote the book.

?I didn’t know? if anybody else has this curiosity about the topics of old age and ageing. Then I remembered an old story about a king and the strange custom in his kingdom:

?This ancient country that has a custom. They had kings by rotation – each serving for three years only. During the reign, the king had a life of total luxury and pleasure. But, after the three years of reign, the king was banished to a wicked forest that had unspeakable horrors.

?A new king was throned. He had his three years of pleasure. The last few months of the reign were remaining. This was the period of gloom for kings , because they dreaded what was in store for them. But this king seemed different – he was looking forward to the wicked forest!

?Everyone was intrigued- how was this king so different? Normally the last few months were the worst and kings had to be literally dragged out and forced into the forest.?

Not able to understand the mystery, the king’s minister asked him “ Sire, aren’t you afraid of what is in store for you? How can you be so cheerful..?”

?The king replied with a laugh. “Yes, I was afraid when I started my reign. Because, I didn’t know what awaited me. So I sent out spies and to find out what was so dreadful in the wicked forest. My spies told me that the forest was wild, with no fruits or flowers,? just fearful creatures that devoured on man.”

The king continued: ?I therefore ?sent my armies to clear the forest, and kill the wild creatures and plant fruits and flowers . I did all the preparation for my inevitable future, during the years of my reign.

?So now, the forest is no longer fearful for me. ?I made sure that I am going to an enchanted forest. Why should I be afraid?

? ***

Like the king in this old tale, I know that I also will have to go to that fearful forest of old age . I wanted to know why this was so, and if there was something I could do now to convert the inevitable into a pleasant experience.

If it helps another person make their journey into old age painless and perhaps pleasant? - I would be the happiest. If it doesn’t and there is no one to read this book – that is also fine. Because in the process of researching for this book and writing it, I have learned a lot about the natural process of ageing. I will put to practice strategies and lifestyle modifications that research says will ease the transition . I hope they work.

?In the meantime , I write this book for the young, middle aged and the old who have begun to realise that they are all ageing – one day at a time.