Mention sixty years of age and the visuals that flash to mind is that of quiet, laidback contemplation; a slow journey into inexistence.
Determined by man to be the age of retirement sixty years is reckoned as a major crisis in life that most don’t look forward to. It is considered a time when one turns unproductive and incapable of delivering the goods. But is this a true, realistic perception? Is sixty years the time to quit; say good-bye to an active and fruitful life? Or has life more in store? Besides, what about creativity and inventiveness? Do they go also downhill at sixty? Surprising responses spring up from those who have crossed this contentious age.
Shyamla Surendran, classical dancer and founder of Dharani School of Performing Arts, Kochi, who just celebrated her sixtieth birthday this year reveals, “Creativity does not decrease at sixty. On the contrary I find my artistic and creative juices overflowing with new and imaginative ideas. Sixty years is a unique time when you attain a mental calmness and harmony making your mind fertile and receptive to fresh and original ideas.
Attitude
It is never a time to withdraw from life. On the contrary, with the right attitude and a wealth of experience behind you, one can achieve many things.”
What happens when one advances to mid and late sixties? A worrying factor is whether there will be a drastic drop in creativity. Senior advocate Govind Bharathan says, “I’m nearing seventy and my creativity is at its peak! This is the time, when freed from family obligations and occupational pressures; one attains a degree of serenity.
A renewal
So, sixty years is not the beginning of the end, but a renewal or another beginning. What unsettles most, more than anything else, it has been observed is the thought of turning sixty. But what about the physical changes that are inevitable as one advance in years? Don’t our brain cells deteriorate, diminish and bring about memory loss, clumsiness making one inept and bungling.
-Hemjit