“Preparation for old age should begin not later than one’s teens. A life which is empty of purpose until 65 will not suddenly become filled on retirement.”—Dwight L. Moody
In our teens, we are most often focused on preparation for the near future—career, family, etc. (i.e., what may be referred to as “Second Age”). Life, in general, is preparing us for all the steps and stages that lie ahead. It prepares us for Second, and Third Age, as well as Fourth Age. (According to Laslett [1987], First Age is the era for dependence, socialization, immaturity, and learning; Second Age is the era for independence, maturity, responsibility, and working; Third Age is the era for personal achievement and fulfillment after retirement; and Fourth Age is the era of final dependence, decrepitude, and death.) Life prepares us for our Purpose.
Preparation for the near future is limited if there is no eye on the long-term and, ultimately, on Purpose. Purposive preparation considers one’s Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social growth from an other- rather than self-centered perspective. Fulfillment exists in the present rather than the future.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!
Laslett, P. (1987). The emergence of the Third Age. Ageing and Society, 7. 133-160.