16:20 Gulf News: You are only as old or young as you believe.
16:22 Madhu Madan: I completely agree. Like they say, age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter. Yes, it is all in our heads … and hearts. Age really is just a number, you are only as old as you think.
16:23 Yash Shah: I agree to the statement that I am only as young as I believe because if you manage to change with time, you learn to believe in yourself and it is only your thoughts that either make you ‘young’ or ‘old’.
16:23 Fatima Khan: Yes, I do believe in the statement. Research has shown that it is all in the mind. The condition of a person is psychosomatic. If a person feels young their body doesn’t age as much as their chronological age.
16:23 Varunya Venkatesh: Yes, the chronological age is just a record of years a person has spent, and has no relation to their level of mental maturity, their emotional intelligence and several other aspects that are generally associated with age. So, it’s up to every individual to decide, and believe, how young or old they are. It has more to do with the experiences that one gains over the years than the number itself that adds to the mental age.
16:26 Yash Shah: I believe chronological age does have an impact on mental age but to a very limited extent.
16:27 Fatima Khan: With age many of person’s mental faculties develop especially in the founding years. However, once the development is complete it is how active we keep our mind that determines the sharpness of our mental faculties and the control over our thoughts and attitude.
16:27 Madhu Madan: Yes, chronological age may have a slight impact on one’s mental age but that can be overcome with one’s attitude. Aging is inevitable. It begins the day we’re born and it doesn’t stop until the very end. Our hair will turn grey, our skin will loosen, and our joints will tighten. But growing old is a matter of personal choice. It’s been said that we don’t stop laughing because we grow old – we grow old because we stop laughing.
16:29 Yash Shah: I have often come across adults in their 40s who are open to new ideas, especially with the increase in the use of technology in our daily lives. We see our parents and other adults learning to change with time because they have learnt that time does not wait for anyone. It is true that older people take more time to change but we cannot blame them because all their lives they have been used to living in a particular way, however we should also be able to give them time to change and change in ways they feel comfortable.
16:29 Fatima Khan: One needs to realise they grew old because they refused to change, refused to be moulded not that they refuse to be moulded because they have grown old. There is a difference and it all depends on one constant thing - change.
16:29 Varunya Venkatesh: Even if the years have weighed down upon individuals, I completely believe that it is possible to maintain the zest, and enthusiasm in life, and be open to changes. I disagree that old people resist change. For example, President Obama, who is 40-something, is for change, and has inspired many, too.
16:31 Gulf News: People with a sense of humour are often considered ‘immature’.
16:31 Madhu Madan: No, not at all. It depends on the kind of jokes one cracks. For instance, if one’s jokes are centred around put-downs and sarcasm, that could make him or her seem immature. Who decided that after a certain number of birthdays, we’re no longer supposed to have fun? With all of the money being spent by people trying to look younger, I don’t think people should try to act their age and look older. Feeling young, behaving young and acting young is all free, and nothing covers wrinkles like a smile.
16:33 Fatima Khan: Staying young at heart and acting inappropriately are entirely different, just like childish and child-like are different. People with a good sense of humour are considered jolly people not immature. However, if one acts like an 18-year-old and is clearly older than 40, then he or she is termed immature.
16:33 Varunya Venkatesh: I completely disagree. In today’s world, corporations and individuals are working towards a society that beats monotony. Thus, it has become more welcome towards enthusiastic people who are young at heart and pass a few smiles along the way. However, this is often confused with acting according to the situation. be it any age, people are expected to have some degree of seriousness while handling important matters with weightage. Thus, staying young is not immature, but casual behaviour at the wrong time is.
16:36 Yash Shah: I completely disagree with the statement that people with a sense of humour are considered immature. Since childhood we learn to enjoy, be enthusiastic, have fun, make friends, form relationships and most importantly we are taught that laughter is the best medicine. Then how can we believe that just because a person has crossed his/her teens or has added a few numbers to his age, his sense of humour could be labeled as being immature.
16:36 Madhu Madan: A friend of mine, 40 years old (chronological age) is very fun loving, shares jokes, is very active socially. Those who know her age, compliment her saying she looks so young. I am sure it is because she acts young and funny enough to entertain people. Those who don’t know her age guess her to be in her late 20s.
16:36 Gulf News: Not ‘acting your age’ can often create a level of distrust/disrespect among your peers.
16:37 Madhu Madan: Having a good sense of humour is a great quality and is in no way an indicator of your maturity level.
16:38 Fatima Khan: We have young people complaining like there is no tomorrow. And then the other day a cancer survivor aged 75 years walked into the surgery outpatient department. His reports showed that a renal carcinoma had just started to develop. It had high malignant potential. After discussing the consequences and everything he laughed away the doctors concerns saying he had to make an important trip to some relatives’s place. Once he was done with his tasks he would be prepared to meet the cancer. Till then the cancer will have to wait its appointment and sit quietly. The consultants on duty said just one thing after he left. That old guy just laughed and told death to wait. What are you so sad about that you die a death every day?
16:39 Madhu Madan: Acting your age’ makes no sense because people age at different rates. Not acting your age is not what creates disrespect among your peers. Even a younger person with ill manners, bad sense of humour can craete disrespect among his peers. Mental images connected to chronological age is one big reason why some people become frail as they age and others don’t.There are tangible health benefits to having a more positive view about aging. Keeping one’s mind and body feeling youthful can actually help one stay young – no matter how many candles are on one’s birthday cake this year! Older people with positive attitudes also have a slower rate of decline in their ability to perform daily activities as they get older.
16:41 Varunya Venkatesh: I personally believe that the phrase ‘acting your age’ can be perceived in different ways. If that is about one’s level of mental maturity, then being immature around your friends most definitely does not cause distrust, or disrespect when having fun! In fact, goofing around with close friends can be described as one of the most cherishable moments of one’s college life.
16:43 Fatima Khan: Who decides what is normal or appropriate to any age? One is an adolescent or young adult - make mistakes, be irresponsible. It is normal. One is 50 - stop laughing, don’t have fun and worry about anything and everything under the sun. So, if we meet a serious responsible adolescent or a fun-loving happy grandpa; are these people going to be disrespected or distrusted?
16:44 Yash Shah: I would agree with this statement and let me prove my point with a very simple example, if there is a 30-year-old man who has a family, a very stable career, there are certain responsibilities set for him that he needs to respect. However, if he does not act his “age” ( in this case, age is not a number, age is what he is meant to do or be responsible for) and runs away from his responsibilities, it would create disrespect amongst peers and thus he would be labeled as ‘not acting your age’.
16:45 Madhu Madan: I have for myself decided to never give up fun activities just because I would be older. I am going to live my life youthfully as much as I can. With each passing year I am not going to allow boredom to enter my life. No way! After all I am as young as I feel.
16:53 Yash Shah: I cannot emphasise enough the point of how unimportant age (a number) is anymore. Times have changed and so should people’s mindsets.
- Compiled by Huda Tabrez/Community Web Editor
