Lifelong learning beginning at mid-life.....

" How do we keep from 'growing old inside'? Surely only in community. The only way to make friends with time is to stay friends with people. If I try to deal with time by myself, I lose. Absolutely. Of that I am certain." - Robert McAfee Brown, 1980, p.18


"The most precious gift in the world is time. Time to do anything you want to do, whenever you want to do it... time gives you the golden opportunity to meet new friends, get involved in new activities, travel to new places. It's your chance to create, innovate, help others, be valuable in the community. It's your time to grow as a human being (Guide to Leisure, 50-plus magazine, 1981, p.2)

"We are complex, noisy, nosey creatures who need stimulation. Our activities, exercise, hobbies - and yes, our involved carings - all contribute to our psychological well-being and add spice to our everyday activities. In fact, the stress of our unexpected creative surprises draw us again and again to savor the change of creative experience. We need our arousals to motivate us, inspire us, teach us and give us pleasure. (Carlsen, unpublished material)

"The best thing for being sad is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your lonely love, you may see the world around you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honor trample in the sewer of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then - TO LEARN. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distruct, and never dream of regretting. Never stop learning ..... (T.H. White, "The Once and Future King ")

"Begin at once - not today, or tomorrow, or at some remote indefinite date, but right now, at this precise moment - to choose some subject, some concept, some great name or idea or event in history on which you can eventually make yourself the world's supreme expert. Start a crash program immediately to qualify yourself for this self-assignment through:

1. reading
2. research
3. reflection"

(Gross, 1982, pp. xii-xiii)

"Keep your body and your mind razor sharp. And always have something in the wings" (Rosenblum, l989, p. 34). Here's how:

Experiment with new careers, invest in learning, be active in sports and exercise programs, test new cuisine, produce art work, learn new hobbies, explore spiritual realm, write books, travel the nation and the world. Meet new friends, practice music, sing in choirs, play tennis, hike around the park night and morning. Contribute to the continuity, spirit and well-being of those around you. Pass along wisdom. . Try out something new. This is the idea of learning, growing, and creating. ("ADD LIFE TO YEARS, not years to life! " - Murlidhar Devidas Amte)