Wisdom of the Aged

Jun 17, 2010 | Wisdom | 0 comments

Following on from yesterday’s topic on people in the winter of their lives, these quotes from Mahatma Gandhi and Ram Dass seem timely:
Gandhi
Old as I am in age, I have no feeling that I have ceased to grow inwardly or that my growth will stop at the dissolution of the flesh. What I am concerned with is my readiness to obey the call of Truth, my God, from moment to moment, no matter how inconsistent it may appear. My commitment is to Truth, not to consistency.
Ram Dass
I look back and see my own inconsistencies over time. I see how many things I have been wrong about in my life. I remember the arrogance with which I taught a course at Harvard in human motivation. How limited and even incorrect was the gospel according to behaviourism that I was propagating. I taught Freudian theory as if it were the ultimate wisdom while in fact it turned out to represent a rather impoverished view of the human condition. How do I feel about all these errors? Embarrassed? A little! But that state of mind just flickers across the screen of the consciousness. It is almost immediately replaced by a sense of humour at how poignant we human beings are. That in turn is replaced by a deep appreciation for the grace of having been able to move on, of not getting stuck in any particular take or reality, of seeing and being able to admit my bad judgment. Truth isn’t necessarily popular or easy to espouse, but it certainly keeps things lively.
Love everyone and tell the truth.
For you Ram Dass (author of Be Here Now) fans, you can now follow him on Twitter: BabaRamDass

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