മുറി മുപ്പത് - ready to take up tasks/risks
നെറി നാല്പത് - just and ethical
അറി അൻപത് - wise
ശരി അറുപത് - integrated
തെറി എഴുപത് - cursing
വെറി എൺപത് - frustration
ചൊറി തൊണ്ണൂറ് - illness, irritable
കുഴി നൂറ് ! - Tomb
Typically, at 60, people used to get really old, in olden times. It is called shashtipurti. I really can't understand why this has become significant. If we look at the grand Indian plan about life - it is conceived in four quarters of 25 each - brahmacarya, gruhastha, vanaprastha, sannyasa. So, 50 should be a landmark. Perhaps, diluting it to suit the typical life expectancy for a healthy Indian, say 80, then 60 could be considered the entry into the last phase - sannyasa. In earlier times, a walking stick was provided during such celebrations, if any.
At 60, I am feeling ok - okay! Feeling good? Rather, feeling not bad - except that in 60 years' time I have not really done anything significant - not contributed anything drastic to make the world a better place, though I have consciously tried to do good in most cases - not avoiding an occasion to do good. At 60, 'aRi' and 'neRi' put together, I should be on the path of 'shari'. May the Lord help me thus!
Have I made the world a bitter place by my words or actions - I can very well remember at least 2 people who feel so - perhaps, more. But those two, I have really not done any harm - however, they appear to sincerely believe that I have wronged them, and I must therefore deserve something bad - if possible, at their hands/mouth - the latter I have received rather in good dose by the kind of drubbing I have received from them. One on a public forum, the other by constant rebellion and questioning. May they be well - sarvesham swasthir bhavatu!
I usually start my day with the 7 mantras partly borrowed from Reiki. The first is 'Just for today, I shall show the attitude of gratitude'. I have many things to be grateful for:
Don't yet need a stick to walk
My shoulders though now injured
I hope to soon get them repaired
And go about with the least concern
And still I hope to learn
Arabic, Sanskrit I yearn
As well as English and Spanish
In my bucket is endless travel
Laddak on wheels, Base camp on heels
To always Lord's will to seek
And in spite of my failings galore
To be on the Lord's favoured list for sure!
Erik Erickson identified the dispositions associated with various stages of development; there could be positive dispositions or negative dispositions acquired in a range. Though these are not strictly to be found associated with any stage, they do provide insight for promoting positive growth in individuals:
2 to 4 Toddlerhood - Autonomy vs Doubt/Shame
5 to 7 Preschool - Initiative vs Guilt
8 to 12 Early school years - Industry vs Inferiority
13 to 17 & 18 to 25 Adolescence - Identity vs Role Confusion
25 to 30 Young Adulthood - Intimacy vs Isolation
30 to 50 Middle Adulthood - Generativity vs Stagnation
50 & above Late Adulthood - Integrity vs Despair
When I look back on life, in most of the stages, I have had predominantly positive dispositions - or I was able to see things positively, in spite of the odds. Regarding the adolescent age - though the identity aspect didn't become very clear and strong, I escaped almost all those turbulent years, with the steady atmosphere provided by the monastic seminary training.
Definitely, when it comes to intimacy vs isolation, I feel I had led myself away from all sorts of intimacies, that I am almost fully isolated. So far, I don't regret that much, not desolate about being isolated - regret only that it did not take me to the next stage of intimacy with Jesus or the antaryaamin. As someone puts it, 'alone with the Alone'. We - the Alone & me alone - are very much on talking terms - I can relate and narrate anything to him - at least with me, it's him and not him/her (even when I am doubtful about him being real), however, there is no such intimacy.
In the stage of generativity, I wonder if I had been generative - definitely not posterity-wise in a physical sense. But I feel, I should have been more - reading, researching and publishing more - I was stagnant at that stage. Post-retirement, in the last 3 and half years, this was much better I should say, at least 20 articles - popular and academic, I have published.
Now is the time truly challenging - will I be able to have integrity, and not to despair. Truly be the sannyasi - well placed/disposed/consecrated I profess to be? I found my ammachi almost despairing, in spite of having been a woman of very positive dispositions till she became affected by old age accompanied by Parkinson's. So too I find my aunt who leads a consecrated life, now almost in despair - she used to sympathise with ammachi for her plight. I hope I will not despair, rather, take things in their stride, and smile at the world.
Trying to get the right dispositions as used to be accounted by late beloved Fr Sylvester, my sharp-witted friend Varghese, the apostle of entrepreneurial education, tapped Meta to get the following positive stages in life:
Forties establish, fifties proclaim.
Sixties shine, seventy sets free,
Seventy-nine calms, ninety contemplates, hundred returns to thee."
Then I decided to go meta Meta, and created the following lines:
Tune at thirty
Fight at forty
Fly at fifty
Steady at sixty
Serene at seventy
Easy-take-it at Eighty
Never-say-die at Ninty
Happy-to-go at hundred
With my knees and joints gradually getting affected, and my ability to play as I would like to is getting limited, I look at my life plans sceptically. The simple plan is to live happily and healthy till 100 and then leave the body for the benefit world, and vacate the space.
I would like to have the Vedic blessing given to the seeker who prostrates before the wise (the elders): “Shatamaanam bhavati shataayu: purusha:…”. I do my version of Suryanamaskar and when I do the step of ashtanga namaskaar, my mantra is: Om Sadguruve nama: - for me, Sadguru being the antaryamin as manifested in Jesus.
I would like to have the Vedic birthday wishes fulfilled for me: (Yajurveda 34:24)
तच्चक्षु॑र्दे॒वहि॑तं पु॒रस्ता॑च्छु॒क्रमुच्च॑रत्। पश्ये॑म श॒रदः॑ श॒तं जीवे॑म श॒रदः॑ श॒तꣳ शृणु॑याम श॒रदः॑ श॒तं प्र ब्र॑वाम श॒रदः॑ श॒तमदी॑नाः स्याम श॒रदः॑ श॒तं भूय॑श्च श॒रदः॑ श॒तात् ॥२४ ॥
To my happiness, I find several people sharing this day of birth with me:
I remember our great teacher of Theology late, Rev. Fr Joseph Pathrapankal; my teacher at TISS, Dr Rajashree Maithani an excellent exponent of qualitative research, my classmate at TISS and now a very senior development officer with the Tatas - Shrirang Dhawale, my colleague at Rajagiri and its former student, presently CEO of Keystone - Jyothi Krishna, my colleague at Sacred Heart -Tessa Mary, my colleague now at Sitapur Neha Mehrotra, my nephew Melvin (also called Unnikuttan), my niece (in law) Annie. I pray for all of them.
It is a great day for us Catholics - whether I believe in it or not, the feast of the Archangels inspires me and challenges me with their invariable El in them - Raphael (wellness & healing), Michael (protection), Gabriel (communication), Ariel (lioness of God - nature, abundance, happiness), Haniel (energy, vitality, passion for life), Muriel (empathy & compassion), Uriel (light of God - openness to be illuminated by love of God - open palm). However, generally, the first three masculine figures are more familiar to this patriarchal world; the rest of the feminine (perhaps, even more!) are hardly ever heard of or discussed. However, they stand for (also implied in place of) God, without making the reference obvious, implying in them and through the 'el' in them, God's presence covering all aspects of life.
https://www.ask-angels.com/archangels/
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