The sun is to position itself to shine brightest
at the middle of the-day.
That is the case of the period of youth.
"The significance of the morning undoubtedly
lies
in the development of the individual, our
entrenchment
in the outer world, the propagation of our
kind
and the care of our children."
Old age however seems opposite to all the
previous stages, in that the process of development
ceases, and our energy diminishes.
If old age is not about continuing the process
of development triggered since childhood,
then what is its purpose ?
So obvious it's a period of decadence ; weakness
of the mind, and slowness of the body.
But there must be a significance behind it.
Let's find out.
We'll start with a neat description of the
psychic features.
In the process we will eventually arrive to
deduce a plausible meaning for this phase.
In observing statistics Jung had recognized
a pattern.
An inscrease in depressive episodes in people
between thirty-five and forty.
These frequent depressions he said, signal
a significant change in the human psyche.
Something is happening in the unconscious,
a preparation of some sort, a transition to
the final stage of life.
Some changes in character start to surface
incrementally.
What's notable is how convictions the person
has hitherto embodied, strenghthen.
He grows further intolerant to change especially
in regards to moral principles.
And a stage of fanaticism is to be expected
at the age of fifty.
For this to be fairly prevented try to cultivate
& maintain a flexible mentality in your twenties
that will eventually carry on in late life.
"It also frequently happens that the convictions
and
principles which have hitherto been accepted-especially
the moral principles -commence to harden and
to grow
increasingly rigid until, somewhere towards
the age of fifty,
a period of intolerance and fanaticism is
reached.
It is then
as if the existence of these principles were
endangered, and
it were therefore necessary to emphasize them
all the more."
In addition, we could notice some transformations
on a hormonal level.
Both sexes exploit to the fullest their share
of masculine and feminine energies in the
period of youth.
However in late life, we may often observe
that these roles are flipped upside down.
The feminine in man permeates itself, while
the masculine becomes dominant in women.
This change is rather invisible as it occurs
more so on the psychic plane; despite that
in some races elderly females developed mustaches
and deep voices, while the vigor of the male
was toned down by feminine traits.
"How often it happens that a man of forty
or fifty years
winds up his business, and that his wife then
dons the trousers and opens a little shop
where he
sometimes performs the duties of handyman.
There are many women who only awake to social
responsibility
and to social consciousness after their fortieth
year."
"In modern business life especially in the
United
States-nervous breakdown in the forties or
after
is a very common occurrence.
If one studies
the victims a little closely one sees that
the thing
which has broken down is the masculine style
of life
which held the field up to now; what is left
over is an
effeminate man.
Countrariwise, one can observe women
in these self-same business spheres who have
developed
in the second half of life an uncommon masculinity
and
an incisiveness which push the feelings and
the heart aside.
Very often the reversal is accompanied by
all sorts of
catastrophes in marriage; for it is not hard
to imagine
what may happen when the husband discovers
his tender
feelings, and the wife her sharpness of mind."
It is the norm on the markets, products that
promote youthfulness and beauty.
Old age is frowned upon nowadays as though
it had no purpose but repulsiveness and inefficiency.
Quite often the mother competes in looks and
fashion with her daughter.
The father tries to model his son.
In spite of the fact of how vital it is to
surround oneself with youngsters to ward off
ridigity, old age is not only about modeling
the young.
Now a thing to keep in mind; the author was
certain of some things but on others he's
offering mere speculation.
So here I cannot say for sure what this period
is about but let's just see what he said for
the sake of speculation.
What Jung was fairly sure of is that old age
is about rest and restoration:
"For a young person it is almost a sin-
and certainly a danger- to be too much
occupied with himself; but for the aging
person it is a duty and a necessity to give
serious attention to himself.
After having
lavished its light upon the world, the sun
withdraws its rays in order to illumine itself."
However, he further speculated that it could
also be about culture.
Meaning, the person now has more time to retire
in the reading of books, the teaching of offsprings
and the sharing of wisdom.
"In primitive tribes we observe that the old
people are
almost always the guardians of the mysteries
and the
laws, and it is in these that the cultural
heritage~ of the
tribe is expressed.
How does the matter stand with us ?
Where is the wisdom of our old people-where
are their
precious secrets and their visions?
For the most part
our old people try to compete with the young."
The author spoke of a spooky phenomenon of
high probability.
He said it is possible for the personality
to deconstruct and undego a thorough change
in late life, leaving the person you had long
known a total stranger.
Particularly happens when someone enters old
age with fanatic rigidity in habits and ideals
that served him in his youth period.
In other words, he enters late life with solidfied
convictions and with a firm assumption that
he will remain the same person no matter what.
This example by the author explains it perfectly:
"I know of a pious man who was a churchwarden
and
who, from the age of forty onward, showed
a growing
and finally unbearable intolerance in things
of morality
and religion.
At the same time his disposition grew visibly
worse.
At last he was nothing more than a darkly
lowering "pillar of the church."
In this way he got
along until his fifty-fifth year when suddenly,
one night,
sitting up in bed, he said to his wife: "Now
at last I've
got it I As a matter of fact I'm just a plain
rascal."
Nor did this self-realization remain without
results.
He
spent his declining years in riotous living
and in wasting
a goodly part of his fortune.
Obviously quite a likeable
person capable of both extremes !"
It's as though what he had hitherto repressed
and rejected now came rushing to the conscious
surface as a violent change in character.
A similar case are people who enter late life
with that "work hard", forceful husteling
mentality.
They constrain themselves to work long hours
assuming they still have that youthful energy,
which engenders health issues.
Or elders who hate the wrinkles, reject their
current reality and speak often of the old
good days of youth.
This habit results in stress & weird character
disorders according to young.
In brief, most of these conditions are caused
by the mere assumption that the personality
will remain the same in this last period as
in his twenties.
"The significance of the morning undoubtedly
lies
in the development of the individual, our
entrenchment
in the outer world, the propagation of our
kind and the
care of our children.
This is the obvious purpose of
nature.
But when this purpose has been attained-and
even more than attained-shall the earning
of money~
the extension of conquests and the expansion
of life
go steadily on beyond the bounds of all reason
and
sense ? Whoever carries over into the afternoon
the law
of the morning-that is, the aims of nature-must
pay
for so doing with damage to his soul just
as surely
as a growing youth who tries to salvage his
childish
egoism must pay for this mistake with social
failure."
Jung observed that many resist the approaching
of old age.
And even as elders, they despise their current
state and keep on speaking of their youthful
conquests and doings.
Those are who resent the young for their pleasures
and vigor.
"... many old people prefer to be hypochondriacs,
niggards, doctrinaires, applauders of the
past or
eternal a dolescents-all lamentable substitutes
for the illumination of the self, but inevitable
consequences of the delusion that the second
half of life must be governed by the principles
of the first."
In a nutshell, to prevent any psychic disorders
in late life, one must welcome old age with
open arms, support and surround oneself with,
instead of resent the young.
Further it's vital to acknowledge that now
is the time to rest and take care of oneself,
especially in extreme old age.
Do not be fooled into carrying the idea that
you're going to maintain the same energy levels
of youth as an old man.
This can mean that the youth period is your
only chance to build oneself and one's empire
; health, wealth and good relationships, for
you won't be that motivated to do so in your
50's.
As I've mentioned every psychological period
has a specific purpose.
If the habits of youth for instance exceed
to late life, expect disorders of the mind
and body.
Same for youth ; If you're stagnating like
an old man in your twenties expect some weird
behavioral changes to ensue.
All these changes happen spontaneously on
a psychic, invisible level.
The purpose of this series of videos was to
bring them to light; waken you to the fact
that every phase of life is different.
And that if you happen to live one or each
of them in the wrong way, the next phase will
be strenuous, and perhaps would bring about
psychological issues.
Know how to live every stage well.
Basic gist: exploit your potential to the
fullest in your twenties and early thirties,
so to stabalize your psychology in your forties
and fifties.
It's a pleasure to have worked on this series
on psychic life and I hope all the joy was
yours watching it.
You can click on this playlist to watch it
all over again or if you've missed out on
some episodes.
I wish to thank you all for supporting the
journey with your comments, likes and subscriptions.
It means a lot really.
The best is yet to come.
Talk to you soon.
"Thoroughly unprepared we take the step
into the afternoon of life; worse still, we
take this step with the false presupposition
that our truths and ideals will serve us as
hitherto.
But we cannot live the afternoon of
life according to the programme of life's
morning for what was great in the morning
will be little at evening, and what in the
morning was true will at evening
have become a lie."
