Aging-and-Revelation

REVELATION OF AGING

Revelation is a return to the past in order to recognize and understand a new dimension of reality previously imperceptible and even unintelligible to an individual. Revelation is self-awakening or self-enlightenment going beyond the confines of the human mind. It can be due to many factors, and aging is one of them.

Yes, as you age, you may have more time to look back into the past decades of your life, and reflect on what happened to you or to those around you. Although the TAO recommends living in the present, looking back into the past can be positive and even self-enlightening as long as you can self-intuit your perceptions and interpretations of all your past experiences as revelation of your aging to guide you along the rest of your life journey.

So, look back into your past, and you may become inspired and enlightened by the revelation of your aging.

Anything Is Everything

A toddler often holds on to his or her favorite toy, with or without saying “This is mine!” The same child in his or her “terrible two” begins to demand much more, believing that anything around is everything to him or her. Growing up as a young adult, that same individual may then begin to believe the notion that anything cherished by that individual is also his or her own right of entitlement-something that he or she is exclusively entitled to.

Most recently, wearing a mask in public is everything to some, while not wearing one is also everything to others. But why that opposite mentality?

It is because human perceptions are subjective and individualized: they are affected not only by the five senses of an individual, but also by the unique experiences, as well as by the indelible memories of those experiences retained in the mind of that individual. So, what is important to you may not be as important to others, and vice-versa. For this reason, anything could be everything to you, but only nothing to others.

An Illustration

Near the end of 2016, a road rage occurred in Arkansas that ended in the tragic death of a 3-year-old child.

A woman, with her 3-year-old grandson sitting at the back of her car, stopped at a stop sign. A man in the car right behind honked her for not starting her car soon enough. But the woman honked back, and thus the road rage began with the man firing a gun shot at the back of the woman’s car.

Not stopping too long at a stop sign, or wanting to get to a place on time might be everything to the man. Having the right to remain where she was might also be everything to the woman, so she naturally honked back in response.

Unfortunately, that anything-is-everything mentality ended in tragedy-the death of the woman’s three-year-old grandson being shot dead while sitting at the back of her car.

In real life, anything could be everything to real people-it all depends on their own perspectives of anything is everything.

Another Illustration

In 2012, a Chinese couple from Hong Kong filed a lawsuit against an education consultant in the United States for $2 million dollars.

According to the lawsuit, that education consultant promised the couple that he would-but ultimately did not-get their two sons into Harvard University.

The couple had used “improper” but maybe still perfectly “legal” means to get their two sons into Harvard University.

Getting into an elite college or university may be everything to many students, including their parents. Some might even resort to doing anything in order to achieve that goal, which is everything to them.

A Different Illustration

A pastor from Hong Kong was invited to give a sermon in China. A woman from the congregation asked the pastor if it was “right” to give money to get her son into an elite school in China. The pastor replied by saying: “Your son getting into that elite school would also imply depriving another child of that same opportunity that you are seeking for your child.”

A year later, the pastor met the same woman, who told him that her son had got into that elite school but without using her kwganxi or “connection.” The pastor then said to her: “See, God is in control; if you would just let Him.”

Reflections

Now, as your aging continues, what is your own take on “anything is everything”?

If you were the man in the tragic car rage, would you have fired the gunshot? If you were the woman, would you have honked back that resulted in the death of your grandson?

If you had lots of money, would you have become involved in college admission cheating scandal to get yourself or your children into an elite school or college?

Looking back into your past, had you done something improper, if not illegal, because of your belief that something was everything to you then?

Revelation

In many ways, many of us are just like a frog in a well, looking up at the limited sky above, in that we see only ourselves, and no one else, and therefore anything is everything to us. In other words, we see only our own needs and desires that must be fulfilled and gratified no matter how, but without seeing the same needs and desires of others.

Just like the man in the car rage who saw only his own need to get going, but without even considering why the woman might be stalling her car at the stop sign and not moving ahead right away.

Just like the Chinese couple who saw only their own desire to get their two sons into Harvard University, but without considering that their “improper action” might also deprive the opportunity of two other students to get into Harvard University.

These two examples above also illustrate another basic but major human flaw-the “inflated” ego-self, focusing too much on “anything is everything” related to an individual’s ego-self.

“Anything is everything” exemplifies the sins and evils of man. If you want the money you do not have, you just go and rob the bank. If you lust for someone, you just go and commit adultery. If someone aggravates and insults you, you just go and shoot your gun. Not living in reality is committing sins and evils with no accountability and thinking of only yourself.

But revelation of aging may now show you that you are created to be in this world for only one purpose: to be your true self, and not someone with an inflated ego. Conventional wisdom may tell you to find your role model, pursue your life goals based on that role model. Subconsciously, you may begin to dream that you are that role model or someone else that you are not. That is not living in reality, just as you think that going to Harvard University is everything to you because it guarantees success in anything in your life.

Probably, like everybody else, you might have done many similar things in the past due to your sin of pride and not living in reality.

Now, in your advanced years, you may want to be the frog that jumps out of the well to see anything and everything totally different, and that is revelation of your aging. So, let go of your pride or your ego to see yourself re-connected with others. According to the law of nature, what you do to others, you also do to yourself.

Stephen Lau

BOOK OF AGING AND REVELATION