Conti.. Spirituality of the Old..Religious- Part 111.C.1 

 Bandhu Ishanand Vempeny, S. J.

                                                          

SPIRITUALITY OF THE OLD ESPECIALLY OFTHE RELIGIOUS - Part11I      III.  SEARCH FOR A SPIRITUALITY FOR THE OLD .                                                                                                                                      C. This-worldly Dimension of the Spirituality of the Elderly

We have seen some of the physiological and psychological problems of the elderly. It is well and good to soar into lyricism praising the glories of old age as Cicero did. It is great to speak eloquently about the vrudhavasta aspect of old age, but if we neglect the ghatpan aspect, we will not be fully awakened to the reality of old age. Tony de Mello would say that “Spirituality means waking up.”  Here I shall present just a few realities of ageing and I shall do it without sugar-coating. Then we shall see how these problems can turn into opportunities of spiritual growth. 

1. The Challenge of Outdatedness

Alvin Toffler has said that if there is anything permanent it is change. Today the world is changing far more rapidly than a few decades or few centuries back. With the TV, computer, mobile phone, etc., what a septuagenarian learned of geography or history within a couple of years, is learned by a schoolboy within a couple of weeks. During the ‘pre-computer’ age, the calculations made by a Nobel Laureate by years of hard work, can be made within a few minutes through a laptop. 

If this is true it stands to reason that an elderly person should be aware that his/her ‘Jewels of Wisdom’, need not be such precious jewels for the younger generation. Somebody asked Bernard Lonergan, one of the greatest theologians of the Vatican II era, a few years after his retirement from the Jesuit Theologates, what the younger professors were doing at that time. Lonergan replied: “They are throwing imaginary pearls to real swines.” In other words even such an enlightened theologian like Lonergan could not keep pace with the changing times. This means that even an avant-garde thinker can become outdated within a few years of his retirement. 

With certain reservations we too can say with Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, that age-ing leads to sage-ing. But the elderly have to be cautious. It can cause havoc in a community if two or three old Religious pose as sages or wise-men, always ready to scatter their ‘Pearls of Wisdom’ opportunely and inopportunely. The havoc may be more damaging if they are fifty or sixty percent deaf, as usually is the case. When I was a young Jesuit Scholastic I used to make appointment with such wise-men not earlier than ten minutes before a necessary community programme like meals and prayer, so that I might not be overfed with their wisdom. 

“Old Sages” of Zalman may not be in the habit of listening. The following Gujarati proverb satthe lap vadhe (=in the sixties talkativeness will be on the rampage) has a point. The younger generation, especially those addicted to other sources of ‘wisdom’ like computers, TVs and mobile phones, are not very eager to listen to the old. However, today people search eagerly for those who listen with interest and empathy to disburden themselves of their personal woes. If an old Religious is really wise, affectionate, humourous and in the habit of listening with interest and empathy, more and more people will seek his/her company. 

(Coming up next Part lll. C .2. The Challenges of Abnormality)