Our last years

End of days

Our priorities can change in our twilight years. Each hour of each day becomes more precious. Youth really is wasted on the young. So many things that we thought were significant are no longer so. Whatever situation we find ourselves in, we can fight on until the bitter end. Some put more focus on what we think really matters such as our friends and family. You never know for sure when your number is up and can rarely foresee a pending accident or upcoming illness. Even if things seem to be progressing fortuitously you will undoubtedly notice your teeth beginning to rot away, your hair greying and thinning out. Clear startling signs of your mortality. As we age and our health deteriorates, all the worries and cares we once had, dissipate.

The aging process causes our skin to lose its elasticity inside and out. A typical death through old age commences when the acidic contents of the stomach pierce the lining unabated and enters the bloodstream. Every last drop of heroin like reserves are released in the mind allowing us to depart on quite a high. Before this though, exhaustion can set in and we tend to reach a point where we fully appreciate that there is no limit to the number of people we would like to meet, or scientific studies that we may wish to embark upon, or places we may like to visit, or wealth we want to collate or distribute, or politics that we feel inclined to amend, or how far and wide we would like to spread a message, or do whatever thing that is of importance to us; acceptance of our limits is reached and the cares that we once had of the world and opportunities that it offered slide away. It is akin to returning to the time before we were born. Our unique set of preferences, affinities and abilities emerge, flourish, and then ebb away. Our lifespan is restricted; we can do nothing bar accept the boundary and enjoy our turn.

Life is a game played on a board that has already been devised and setup ready for you to play. Some of us will contribute a lot to the world, others not so much. Some that made quite a substantial contribution never got to see all the applications of their work. That is the way it is. Other people moved things forward on their behalf after they passed away. Everything we do relies on the contributions made by other people in the past. And countless contributions have made life better. Hot water on tap. Heating food with microwave energy. Simple cheap lighting to read and work by instead of calling it quits each day when the sun goes down or spending an age making candles. The list goes on. You too can add something, hopefully positive. You can do your bit. I suspect what you do will be positive for humankind but not quite so positive though for other kinds.