Wanting to stay young - a sin?

[dulcissima]

If you define anything beyond entertainment as “boring” then you will likely have a boring and/or superficial life because you haven’t gone beyond the surface. There is nothing objectively wrong* with games, music or movies.(* Just adding a little disclaimer that some are morally objectionable.) Most people enjoy games, movies and music. While we may enjoy entertainment, true joy goes much deeper and lasts longer.

To move beyond a superficial existence, we find deeper meaning for our lives in helping others. Focus less on yourself if you really want to avoid becoming boring and old; people who mostly just talk and think about themselves get particularly boring as they age. Many people serve their immediate family as a way to go beyond themselves, but there are plenty of volunteer activities that can accomplish that too. Common activities associated with parenting is often volunteer work for larger groups, but one doesn’t have to be a parent to coach sports, lead scouts or help in a church nursery.

Considered volunteering, perhaps in an area around your interest. If you have the talent, sing in the Church choir, play an instrument or help with the sound system. If you like sports, consider coaching youth–then you get to watch games and put in real people into the spots rather than just little electronic dudes. God gave you talents and abilities–use them to help others and in doing so you may discover you help yourself more than you help others!

Remember that line in the prayer of St. Francis? “In giving we recieve”. I think it means when we give to others, we get something out of it too. And in dying (to self), we are born to eternal life.

A very nice post, gardenswith kids. I agree.

 

[Jay2]

“Old Dude” here…
Do you (or can you) even begin to comprehend how many times a week I wish I could “teleport” myself back in time to a younger man…doing things with the knowledge that I possess now??.. Career moves, relationship moves, simple ideas, turning left instead of right…

Life IS wasted on the young… they just don’t know it.

Time on this rock is the only equalling factor among us… Just spend your time here honestly, truthfully, and knowing that whatever you accomplish… you can’t take it with you.

 

[Viki59]

Adult life is dreary. The lack of true friends, casual conversation, work that becomes repetitive and boring, nothing is new anymore.

I used to think the same. My kids were nearly grown, I had nothing to look forward to but attending concerts and plays and working until I died . . .

Then I took a class in Spanish, fell in love with a Spanish speaking guy, got married, became a foster parent, adopted two foster kids, changed jobs about four times . . .
I don’t dare say I’m bored any more. God might be listening.

Seriously, I think the best idea is to be open to new experiences and people.

 

[SeekerJen]

No but I think the nature of friendship changes. Social interaction for older people/ mature adults seems to consist of discussing investments with a work colleague over lunch, or something like that.

Only if you let it. Personally, that sounds horrifying. Why would aging mean that you have to give up normal socialization with your friends? One doesn’t hit 35 and suddenly think “Oh, no more fun evenings shooting pool with friends at the pub. From now on I can only do business lunches.” Why would you stop doing what you enjoy just because you’ve reached a certain age?

I’ll be 29 next month. Ordinarily it doesn’t even faze me, as life is pretty good, but I had an “old” moment last week. All of the other first years in my univ. program are 22-23, and one of them mentioned that another girl had her 23rd birthday coming up. They discussed whether or not she felt older, then agreed that they wouldn’t really feel old until they were “like, 29 or 30. Then we’d be old.” But I’m still going out bowling with all of these people next week to celebrate the end of finals. No reason not to, I don’t have to be stodgy just because I’ll hit 30 before they will.

No, I don’t think it’s a sin to want to stay young. Let’s face it, it’s easier to take care of oneself; medical problems start to pop up as one ages. Young people also usually have fewer responsibilities. But there are also good things to getting older. More freedom to balance out the responsibilities, and the respect that comes with age and (hopefully) wisdom. Honestly, for me at least, life has gotten better as I’ve gotten older, and except for a few miserable middle school years, I never thought it was bad to begin with.

As for Botox- why on earth would anyone want to inject botulism toxin into their skin? This perplexes me.

 

[cynic]

To move beyond a superficial existence, we find deeper meaning for our lives in helping others. .

ok thanks for your post, but I’d just like to ask, what if we lived in a world where there was no poverty or inequality (hypothetically) What then?

 

[JLSacred]

In my opinion, wanting to stay young is superficial and vain. Yes, I think it can be a sin.

 

[anamchara]

No but I think the nature of friendship changes. Social interaction for older people/ mature adults seems to consist of discussing investments with a work colleague over lunch, or something like that.

I have to disagree with this. I still have close friends in my 40s that I did when I was a girl running around enjoying the single life. Now I realize this is a bit different for women perhaps but honestly my friendships now can be just as much fun and close as they were when I was younger. I will say they do change a bit but I find the friendships have even more meaning now then they did at a young age. When you raise children together and go through certain things in your life together as friends, there is a different bond of commonality. It’s much more mature and can be very special.

Having said all that, I do know how you feel. I went through the same thing when I was in my 20s worrying about age, if you look it up I believe it’s fairly common for someone your age to go through this kind of reflection. I don’t believe it’s a sin to want to be young again, who doesn’t? God knows this. The fact that you recognize it says something. I’ve seen too many men try hard to stay young and make fools of themselves without realizing it. I think that can fall into sin. You sound like a mature young man who is trying to be careful about offending God.

 

[gardenswithkids]

Originally Posted by gardenswithkids

Young children and older people often need help unrelated to poverty; it relates to their physical and/or mental abilities at that stage of their life. In the same way that 1+3+5=9=5+3+1 we take turns needing help and giving help to each other. Being equal doesn’t mean that we are all alike or that we all do the same thing at the same time.

I don’t mean this post or any other to sound hard on you. I was a few years older than you before I learned what I’m writing about, and I don’t really expect that merely reading it will mean anything if someone hasn’t also experienced at least some of it. As long as we live on this earth we can grow and learn. I learned quite a lot about living by seeing my mother age and die.

When you bring up the fear of aging, many fear aging because it reminds us that one day it will be our turn to die. I fear suffering and dying as my mother did. She was terribly ill for the last several years of her life, and I wish that on no one, (especially not on myself.) Yet, in her weakness my mother showed herself to be one of the strongest people I’ve known. She offered up her suffering for the sake of others, and I know that included me. She helped me and others grow stronger as we cared for her.

I do belive in an ideal world, but this world isn’t it. Death exists here, and it is inevitable that we all will die. Death–the great equalizer–destiny of the young and the old, the rich and the poor. Face that fact now and we can live a better life and can avoid dying the second death, death of the soul. One can spend his life running from aging and death, but death will catch him anyway. And after death, then what? An eternal perspective helps keep us on the right track in this world so we can reach a better one.

Realizing that I would one day die helped me internalize that phrase from St. Paul “die to self and live for Christ.” In all the many ways my mother helped me as I grew up, one of the most profound things she ever did for me was to give me the privledge of helping her as she aged. It transformed me in ways that I can’t begin to describe. In the final stages of her life my mother helped me truly “grow up”.

 

[CarolAnnSFO]

So I’ll be 28 in a month. It is very much an appearence thing, I’m not going to pretend otherwise. Not that I am (or was) in any way good looking, and it’s very superficial of course, but I just can’t help it. I’m terrified of looking like a middle aged man! I can’t help thinking that people will think less and less of you with the degrading looks, the chance of finding a marriage partner shrinks, and there’s nothing but years and years of sitting in an office ahead…

You can trust me on this one; there is plenty more to life than just sitting in an office, even if you never find a marriage partner (I know this, because I am well past the age of being able to find one, barring a miracle ).

If someone would think less of you because you are starting to look older, then that is not a true friendship anyway, and you are just as well off without it.

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