SadhanaOriental Meditation and Christian Prayer
Contemplation in action
ーIn relation with othersー
[19] What I come to realize – 4 (Beautiful old people)
Sometimes, we encounter beautiful elderly people.
They keep regular hours every day. They never lose the rhythm.
They act slowly and quietly, but they keep working. While young people who are working full-time decide on frameworks and handle major tasks, elderly people judge what they can do and fill the gap. They never talk about how hard they worked, or boast of what they have achieved.
When they are taken care of by younger people, they gracefully bow and thank them.
During the meal or tea party with some friends, they quietly listen to what others say. And when they are interested in a story, and want to know more, they sometimes ask questions politely.
As for what they eat, they fully know what are good or bad for them. They eat an appropriate amount of food that is good for them.
They do not complain.
When young people fight, blame, or compete with each other, they do not voluntarily intervene. Only when the young people seek advice from them, they gently answer, “It seems life goes well by doing this,” or “I think people mutually do that.” They are never too enthusiastic or passionate. They talk in general terms to lead young people to the universal truth about life.
They live peacefully, sometimes with a smile.
These beautiful old people’s focus of attention is not on worldly things but on something beyond this world. We can see that their emotion is not based on worldly affairs. They place their value on something noble and eternal.
It seems these old people meet and talk with God every day (or every moment). Whenever we see these people, we can see that God is with us human beings and support us.