confessions of an agist...

Yes I am an agist...

The sight of taunt young flesh and perfect features illicitness this thought:

boring

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfk8kLJMab0

Here is the true prejudice, youth is not very smart.

Now I don't mean they are all stupid like a box of rocks, just the vast majority have no life experience to speak of and think they know EVERYTHING.
Yes, this stems from an assumption that older people have examined life, been knocked about a bit and no longer view the planet as revolving around them.  But my experience has proven my prejudice to be true for the most part.

Granted there are older individuals out there who have managed to get to an advanced stage of life and avoid any sort of inner examination - to bad for them - and again - BORING!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQZmCJUSC6g

To quote Socrates, "an unexamined life is not worth living" (yes someone said it before Madonna)  which to our current society that is star obsessed, entertainment based and generally outwardly focussed for validation or happiness, is a radical concept for many. No wonder people are so unhappy as they hit 40 or even 30 not many will have obtained the pat on the head from society that they are seeking.

Secret Number 1: Validation

The great lie being sold to so many is that validation comes form outside. Most people are just not paying attention to you, it isn't that they don't care about you; it is just that they don't care about you. Really. People are too busy managing their own rat race to stop and give you that 'atta boy' you are desperately seeking. So do yourself a favor and acknowledge yourself.

Stop looking outside for validation.

Secret Number 2: Personal

Here is something that, if you can manage it, will make your life a thousand times better. Stop taking it personal.

By "it" I mean all your daily interaction with other people. Understand that most humans are caught up in their own lives. They are paying attention to themselves and their goals, if they cut you off in traffic or bump into you on a street, don't take it personally. How could it be personal if this person doesn't even know you?

Seriously apply this to the people in your life, you will be amazed at the results. When someone you love yells at you, wait, count to 5 and think about what is going on in their lives. Is this reaction about you?

Sometimes the reaction is about you, but maybe the reaction or tone isn't. Try to remember that they are going through their life and that will have an effect on their interactions with you. If you love them why not give them the benefit of the doubt and diffuse instead of infuse with escalation.

I look into the mirror today and I see the hard fought inner examination on my face. It is a face I might be attracted to if it weren't mine and maybe if I smiled a touch easier. But lessons learned hopefully show in my interactions with others as much as around my eyes.

I'll leave you today quote that I keep striving toward:

«I love my past. I love my present. I'm not ashamed of what I've had, and I'm not sad because I have it no longer.» — Colette