5 Things You Should Never Get Too Old to Do

The youth that surrounds college living is unlike anything that will be experienced in life. Old people come to campus to charge up on the atmosphere of youth. There is always so much vivacity that even short-lived group boredom is imbued with activity. Many things come with increased age and some things go, but there are some things that should never fall victim to old age without a fight.

Get Older but refuse to “Be” older
From: Viola Ng

Learn Something Useful

Everyone is told to learn at least one new thing every day and try to remember it. The logic and science seem sound enough; daily learning is understood to engage parts of the brain that could otherwise suffer from dormancy. It is just as important in our age to try to never get too old to learn something useful. I constantly hear, “Oh forget about so-and-so… He is just set in his ways.” This statement and the reality that accompanies it lends itself to the rampancy of phobias from the rising awareness of the LGBTQ community to the ubiquitous (and largely non-existent) virus that older folk swear will get into anything electronic in the house. We must be able to adapt, adjust, and equip ourselves with new skills in order to thrive in the future we are paving. Our economy and lifestyles are currently changing at such a rate that we twenty-something’s will not be afforded the same luxuries as our predecessors; basic life, employment, and sociability will most likely pass us by if we refuse to learn something useful most every day. This is partly because many of the systems that we live within today have been proving to be unsustainable for tens of years now.

Visit your old alma mater

There never seems to be enough time in the day to make a return to trip to your old stomping grounds. The first few years, it’s almost as though you never left but before long you will find yourself saddled with work, excursions, conventions, and relationships. Try not to forget the places that you loathed to see before the rising sun; the halls that brought you to where you are could use a helpful volunteer, a specialist, or the occasional pep-talker. You could find opportunities to contribute to a local community possibly even your old one. Do not worry if you have moved far away from your old stomping grounds, there are a wealth of public schools that would welcome you with open arms in one way or another.

Being to accept is just as important to balance as being able to give.
By: Theophilos Papadopoulos

Ask for and Accept Assistance

People are communal. We would not be at the top of the food chain, chatting on computers and defying natural laws if it were not for our ability to band together and help one another. A major part of being a help to others is being able to graciously accept it. Most every night that you see someone causing a disturbance, getting into a drunken brawl, or otherwise abusing themselves or others, you can rest assured that there is at least one in the party who has repressed their urge to call for help or accept the concern of a friend up to the breaking point. Denying assistance and failing to accept it are two points in the cycle that, if left untended, could cause life-altering imbalances. Never come to a place where you feel that a part of bearing the responsibility of age means defying the thing that brought the human race into a semblance of modernity.

Wear a Costume for Kicks

A true sense of comedy is self-effacing. Being willing and able to find the funny in oneself is directly attached to a person’s ability to be the butt of a joke. As we get older, many of us become more socialized into behavior types as proof of respectability, professionalism, or decorum. It becomes easier to toe the line than to remain true to the off-beat character we spent so much of our youth crafting. You should never get too old to step outside of the day-to-day and participate in your own homespun social experiment; wear something out of place or swear alliterative allegiance to one letter of the alphabet for a day. It is the pushing and pressing against the norms (even our own) that keep us honest and remind us that seriousness is a tool for effectiveness and not a garment to cloak oneself in at all times.

These germ factories have to be good for something… Right?!?
(From: https://www.flickr.com/photos/photos_by_clark/16521374071/ )

Entertain Children (In A Healthy Way!)

Children are running, screaming, balls of life; full of questions and outrageous statements. They are a well spring of sorts, especially if they are not your own. I get that you are in the prime of your life and children are not among the top of your list of things to constantly be around, but just remember that as you get older, it would be in your best interest to find a healthy environment to hang out with some younger people. Children are a challenge. They can test your patience, your resolve, your generosity, and your stamina. Children also have a position in society that allows for deep and immediate engagement. Despite our best efforts, we have yet to find a cure for the cases of candor that children can exhibit around adults. Children will keep you honest by asking you questions a typical adult would find inappropriate, too private, or inflammatory. They are masters of logical discourse and are full of opportunities to translate your complex hang ups or philosophies into smaller, palatable, and still true statements. Beyond this, children have a way of making you smile, laugh, and think deeply and genuinely.