Quote from Polishing the Mirror

Polishing the Mirror

by Ram Dass

Sounds True, Inc., Boulder, Colorado  © 2014   192 pp. 

"One of the reasons that old age is so disconcerting to many people is that their roles change, and with those changes they experience a loss of purpose; a diminished sense of value, identity, and self-worth; confusion about how to behave; a feeling of no longer being needed.  People are uncertain how to restructure their lives, how to manifest as a being whose role is now totally unfamiliar to them.  Retirement and having children leave the parental nest are two role changes that come to mind."

"Recognize in yourself the conflicting forces; part of you wants to stay effective in the world, and part of you want to be contemplative.  Really give that contemplative part some space.  Water it a bit and give it some sunlight to grow instead of treating it as an error."  (p. 70)