Aging and flexibility

The older we get and the stiffer our joints tend to become. Exercise and yoga will help some, depending on how dedicated we are, but this pretty much is something written that we can’t fully control; Insha'Allah! Today, I’m going to talk about a different type of flexibility; that of the mind. When we’re kids, our minds are super nimble, malleable and adaptable. We can learn languages in a snap, mimic adults and we’re generally terrific actors. As we grow older, dogma seeps in and suddenly we use prefabricated concepts that we have concocted and accumulated over the years in order to respond to specific situations. Not only is our spontaneity gone, but we’re slowly sinking into tunnel vision and can’t see options other than our own when we’re faced with a choice or a decision. Sure, experience plays a giant role in shaping us in that manner, but I do believe that most of the time we overreact and build up think blinders for ourselves that deprive us from embracing audacious solutions. I’m convinced that we can get mentally much better as we grow older, but it simply is a matter of paying attention where our limited resources are channeled. I propose that we always focus on alternative possibilities when we reach a crossroad, and make a generous use of our imagination to envision a wide array of exciting new options. It’s about time we resurrected our inner child’s mental fluidity!