I was surprised by the statement, I think in "The View in Winter: Reflections on Old Age" by Ronald Blythe, that those who are near the end of life have no future. What? I have no future !?! But I guess it is simply a mathematical fact: the end ends. I realize that it may not be imminent. I don't think it is and it doesn't feel that way. Still, I do see that the view ahead is very different from the typical view of a person at age 30 or 50. I still have needs but they are under control and more and more, I don't especially need to plan.
But that means that there is less and less I hope to do, less and less I am working on or toward. So, I have fewer and fewer goals. I agree with the Buddha that having few desires leaves me open to few sources of suffering. But I also agree with the zookeepers that an animal is healthier if it is engaged and not bored to death. If I had a stronger mind or maybe a less American hyper-constitution, I might be able to simply sit and enjoy existing. I can do that for a while each day but I do better with a blog, some projects, and some hopes to accomplish by this evening.
