Is there a difference between lonely and serene? It depends on where you, yourself are coming from. Here are a few thoughts about the different views of life that we could call ‘glamour’ versus simply attending to the moment. Do we age to a point of wisdom or simply age? What about ‘old soul’s’ and where do they fit in to this topic recognizing what serenity is versus loneliness.
Can meditation create a wise old soul within us even if we are chronologically born of a younger generation? Are old souls those who have learned to live in the present moment? Like I said, here are a few thoughts.
Personally, I live from sun-up to sun-down and focus wholeheartedly on whatever is before me within that period. That’s it. And I’m happy this way but I would not expect everyone to understand that or be able to relate to it–and the fact is, most don’t. And that’s okay.
I’ve noticed something about people who call another person an old soul. What they notice about those that they label old soul is a wisdom that comes from being grounded in the moment, a lack of angst or anxiety that comes from grasping, struggling, overwhelming desire for what is outside of self. I’ve noticed when people tend to say that someone, usually of a younger generation, is an old soul it is because there is a serenity, calmness and lack of grasping or clinging to attachments that is visibly present.
The graspers (those who grasp at) and seekers of ‘outer-world-validations’ and materialization-s look at the one they’ve labeled an old soul and misinterpret their persona as loneliness or depression. Really? Seriously? Lonely and Depressed? Not on your life!
Generally speaking, many of the younger generation (younger souls?) don’t seem to be able to relate much to those of my generation (is this age related or some other category?). That is unless the younger individual carries with them the energy of what people refer to as old soul energy.
Those who carry that energy seem to emanate wisdom that perhaps comes because they do not crave anything from the outer world–fame, fortune, glamour or any grass greener scenario. A parent of someone like this who is of a younger generation but yet has ‘old soul’ energy many times become concerned because the child or young adult seems to have no huge external motivation or desires. They believe the child lacks passion or drive and the young soul type parent worries in that way about the old soul type child.
Adults who misinterpret serenity for loneliness perhaps may not have yet reached the golden point in life when one feels as if they have arrived.
Don’t get me wrong; there’s nothing wrong with ambition and passion and drive if that is what that person needs to experience at whatever age he/she is experiencing it, so be it. But just don’t think that others who do not relate to your ambitions are confused, lazy, lonely or anything else that you may like to project upon them.
Getting back to my generation… some of us have, as a result living life itself, reached a place of simple living. Simply living out our day while wholeheartedly focusing on attending to the life in the moment. They/we seem comfortable with some type of inner-knowing that our behind-the-scene-efforts will be appreciated when The Light shines upon them and no longer seek any limelight (stage light) from the outer world.
While younger generations are looking to the outer world for validation and experience, many of my generation are re-aligning once again with the inner spaciousness within the self returning in a way to how it was when we were born into this world.
Either way we look at it… whether an old soul or simply ageing, keeping awareness in the present moment ends the struggles with the outer world and allows moment-to-moment creative awareness. ‘Responsible happens’ meaning ‘able to respond’ because we are not distracted by outer world burning desires.
Your own level of awareness — whether it is centered in inner awareness or whether it is grasping at outer world desires will affect how you answered the question at the bottom of the photo. If you are still grasping and full of overwhelming desires, you may decide the person on the bench on the photo is lonely. Otherwise, you may have seen the person as being serene.
Meditation will help anyone, no matter what the age, to achieve that inner spaciousness which makes one able to respond well (creatively and wisely) to anything that comes into their awareness.
And it is living life in this way in which one is being most true-to-self and most sincere-to-self.
If you agree or disagree, no matter–so are the thoughts that come before me today. May they be worthy and somehow helpful to someone.
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