Values and Ageing

calendsGeneral de Gaulle once said “Old age is a shipwreck”, referring to the many dimensions of ageing and maintaining health and a buoyant life. There are many aspects of ageing – social, psychological, physiological, mental and spiritual. In this article, we look to some of the issues of ageing and how human values may be employed.


“Growing Old” is said to occupy the 55 – 80 age bracket, and growing old is principally a state of mind. If one manages their mind, takes up their inherent capacity for life, we might then refer to this topic as Ageing, and ageing well at that. We are not writing anything about death, here. We are writing about an attitude toward old age, and referring to the inherent capacity of the spirit within to seek life with all its élan. We can changes our thoughts, our attitude and hence the language we use around ageing and take a different attitude to the years which occupy the 55 – 80 age bracket. In these matters, we must look to the patterns of the soul, and the five human values.

The patterns of the soul comprise the soul-blueprint laid down for this life. This determines the activities we pursue, the people we will meet and interact with, and the journey throughout life. We may increase the positive impact of the patterns of the soul by seeking our inner guidance and following its helpful assistance. Ego represents contraction, the heart represents expansion; with the ego we may live as a victim of our life; with the heart, we may create our reality, a reality filled with joy, humour, and vibrant company. When we choose to be victim to our life we are then controlled by fears.

When fear arrives, we can make a choice: the spirit guides, the Hierarchy, the Angelic Realms repeatedly advise us: all is choice in this life. We have the power of choice, and thus, the power to create our life is in our own hands. So when fears of old age and how we might end up in our lives surface, we make a choice, make a plan and follow that. We may plan for our old age, and the experts tell us to start planning soon after 60. Ageing well has four broad components: a healthy life, eating well, staying active and having a social life. Our own attitude and feeling and the actions we take determine the old age we will have. Your future is a choice.

Not choosing is also a choice. Not choosing is living with expectancy of old age without disabilities, frailty. Not choosing leaves us at the mercy of our physiological age, our social age, our subjective age. When we choose, our choices are powerful, for they affect the energies around the Earth, in the ether. A good choice for ONE can also be a choice for the Good of the All: here’s how. First we change the choice about how we see ourselves. When we do this, we change the contempt society has for old age. We change the attitude of old age being a burden, useless, transparent. Choices have power, choices have energy and choices affect thoughts behind them. Particularly choices based on the five values of truth, peace, right conduct, love and non-violence. These values are inherent within every person on this Earth.

Choices driven by the values of truth, right conduct, love, peace and non-violence will engender an inner attitude of integrity and the actions we then take up will bring peace to ourselves and to others. Choices made using the five human values bring respect and dignity to the process of ageing.

This respect and dignity are elements of the human values inherent in every person. All people are seeking well-being, wellness, happiness and have a desire to create a world of harmony and peace for all. We may do this through the five human values of truth, right action, love, peace and non-violence. Truth contains honesty, determination, fairness and trust. Right action includes manners, helpfulness, responsibility and perseverance. Love accommodates kindness, friendship, forgiveness, compassion and tolerance. Peace obliges patience, positiveness, self-discipline and thankfulness. Non violence scopes to consideration of others, loyalty, justice, respect and co-operation. The five human values of truth, peace, love, right action and non-violence are all embedded in the four recommended elements of planning for old age – that is, healthy living, good diet, exercise and an active social life. These five human values are also the foundation of integrity.

Integrity is its own witness, and integrity creates lives, homes, households of enduring peace. Integrity elicits integrity from others. Integrity also conforms us to the inner light within. The human is a being of light, for the soul – source of the life-force within – is but a spark of the light, the Central Sun of All Universes, the Creative Source of All.


we all cross the ocean of life to the journey’s end