The book called "From AGE-ING to SAGE-ING - A Profound New Vision of Growing Older" written by Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Ronald S. Miller was a fascinating read. I read the whole first chapter, which was about thirty pages long, and it was completely enlightening. It elaborated on every emotion that one could feel growing older, it provided examples for different situations and it all had a moral behind it. The moral was to never give up, to view this time as another growing period in life and to learn how to leave a legacy behind for others. It also promoted the importance of accepting oneself and finding self peace. Many things discussed in this book can be related back to the values and beliefs of S.P.I.C.E and S.A.G.E. I would highly recommend reading this.
Here are some of my favorite quotes -
"Then what are elders? They are wisdom keepers who have an ongoing responsibility for maintaining society's well being and safeguarding the health of our ailing planet Earth"
"Serving as mentors, they pass on the distilled essence of their life experience to others. The joy of passing on wisdom to younger people not only seeds the future, but crowns an elder's life with worth and nobility."
"We fear being institutionalized in nursing homes, losing our autonomy, and becoming emotional and financial burdens on our loved ones."
"From this perspective, we can think of aging as a kind of 'natural monastery' in which earlier roles, attachments, and pleasures are naturally stripped away from us. What then can emerge is a miraculous sense of discovery, an extraordinary energy that transcends 'doing' in favor of 'being,' and a clarity of consciousness that comes from spiritual growth."
"If these images are positive, if our 'elders within' are healthy, involved, active, and full of life and learning, then the gift of extended life might hold the promise and unprecedented expansion of our opportunities for growth, adventure, wisdom, experience and love."
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