Going through the stages
of aging is a challenge for all of us and one that we’re willing to make, but
we’d probably like to do it a bit better than we are. If we’re fully engaged in this process, then finding
some tools or techniques to help us is a priority. We’ll locate others willing to share useful
information and teach us the skills associated with it when we really
investigate our options. For example,
as the tools of concentration and mindfulness help us to focus on and hold arising
and passing fearful thoughts, emotions, and feelings under a laser-like gaze,
they are combined with the valuable technique of loving kindness.
Resulting from this process
are some benefits that make it particularly important for those of us who wish
to age wisely. First, the approach of
loving kindness balances and softens the outcomes of concentration and
mindfulness. This can be quite helpful
since they often uproot some difficult, unresolved emotions or feelings, which
may take time to process. Next, being
kind to ourselves can overcome the feeling of isolation. Such a benefit, for example, offers a hand of
security to people who are alone after having lost a spouse or someone else
dear to them. One sleeps better and
awakens more easily with fewer fears if he or she feels the comfort of not having
been abandoned. Third, when we become
committed to the force of loving kindness, then people know they can trust us. Obviously, this makes it easier to have more
friends and loving relatives who come to visit. Next, as we sincerely progress in the use of
this technique, we begin to notice a facial radiance, peace of mind, smiles and
good humor that weren’t there before. Life
gradually starts to show us new possibilities, and we find ourselves adapting
to the stages of aging, having become a bit wiser for our efforts. Finally, we begin to embrace life in ways
that were not possible before, even seeing the goodness in others and finding that
in return. Compassion, sympathetic joy,
and equanimity have, for example, now made it into our lives. How wonderful!
Combining loving
kindness with its accompanying techniques puts a beneficial, balancing, and
softening cap on a useful practice for people in the stages of aging. The emotions, feelings, and thoughts that
once seemed to hold one’s life captive have now become manageable. And we begin to see how some of the
properties of loving kindness, such as compassion, may be extended in
additional practices. In conclusion, we
may realize that the employment of concentration, mindfulness, and loving
kindness is not only quite useful but also beneficial as a complete program for
wellness in growing older and wiser. How
satisfying that would be!
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