REJECTING THE MYTHS OF AGING - PT. V

I must admit, I read this book for my own benefit, since I found myself holding on to some deeply ingrained beliefs about aging that, according to the author, are no longer valid.

Having read the book, I will continue to post the most challenging of the authors insights. My hope is that all adults will consider the ideas in this book and be motivated as we move into what could be the most productive season of our lives. Today we look at "Shattering the Myth that Creativity Declines As We Age".

What is clear today is that there is no arbitrary age cutoff for superior accomplishments; they can develop and accelerate in the later years. Many artists, leaders, and familiar personalities reached their most productive peak in their later years. Michelangelo designed St Peter's dome when he was nearly 90 years old, Anna Mae Robertson (Grandma) Moses began painting in her seventies and lived to age 101, Mark Twain, after suffering severe family and financial losses, took to the Chautauqua trail, found a new audience, and paid off his debts in his late 70's and wrote what some consider to be the best American satire. 

The list goes on; Winston Churchill, Ray Kroc of McDonalds, Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken. All their stories are well known in our culture, but dismissed as being the exception and therefore not applicable to the "average" adult.

I have watched many achievements late in life. Whether dictated by circumstances outside themselves, an "Ah Ha" personal insight, or a systematic career planning process, people are finding a worthy means of fulfilling themselves. Late bloomers are "growing up" or finding themselves - an unpredictable and creative process. Blooming late in the season is a natural, but not an easy or automatic, process.

Creativity does not wilt or drop off automatically with our age and, based on the experience of many, it can actually flourish later in life, perhaps for the first time. 

Creativity in living a satisfying life in today's very uncertain world is a major challenge, but necessary. It involves creating our own life and seeing it as a process of growing and becoming. As we add years to our life, we will add new experiences, insights, ideas, knowings, mysteries, questions, and quests. 

If we view life as a continuing upward journey, accumulating experience, creativity, insight, and wisdom, our aging can be seen as the most critical part of it, the final strokes of the paintbrush that create our masterpiece. 

Here are links to my previous posts in this series.

To view Part I of this book review click HERE. To view Part II of this book review click HERE. To view Part III of this book review click HERE. To view Part IV of this book review click HERE.