Chapter 20, How to Stay Young in Spirit Forever
Your subconscious mind never grows old. It is timeless, ageless, and endless. It is a part
of the universal mind of God, which was never born, and it will never die. Fatigue or old
age cannot be predicated on any spiritual quality or power. Patience, kindness, veracity,
humility, good will, peace, harmony, and brotherly love are attributes and qualities,
which never grow old. If you continue to generate these qualities here on this plane of
life, you will always remain young in spirit.
I remember reading an article in one of our magazines some years ago, which stated that
a group of eminent medical men at the De Courcy Clinic, in Cincinnati, Ohio, reported
that years alone are not responsible for bringing about degenerative disorders. These
same physicians stated that it is the fear of time, not time itself, that has a harmful aging
effect on our minds and bodies, and that the neurotic fear of the effects of time may well
be the cause of premature aging.
During the many years of my public life, I have had occasion to study the biographies of
the famous men and women who have continued their productive activities into the years
well beyond the normal span of life. Some of them achieve their greatness in old age. At
the same time, it has been my privilege to meet and to know countless individuals of no
prominence who, in their lesser sphere, belonged to those hardy mortals who have proved
that old age of itself does not destroy the creative powers of the mind and body.
He had grown old in his thought life
A few years ago I called on an old friend in London, England. He was over 80 years of
age, very ill, and obviously was yielding to his advancing years. Our conversation
revealed his physical weakness, his sense of frustration, and a general deterioration
almost approaching lifelessness. His cry was that he was useless and that no one wanted
him. With an expression of hopelessness he betrayed his false philosophy, “We are born,
grow up, become old, good for nothing, and that’s the end.”
This mental attitude of futility and worthlessness was the chief reason for his sickness.
He was looking forward only to senescence, and after that—nothing. Indeed, he had
grown old in his thought life, and his subconscious mind brought about all the evidence
of his habitual thinking.
Age is the dawn of wisdom
Unfortunately, many people have the same attitude as this unhappy man. They are afraid
of what they term “old age,” the end, and extinction, which really means that they are
afraid of life. Yet, life is endless. Age is not the flight of years, but the dawn of wisdom.
Wisdom is an awareness of the tremendous spiritual powers in your subconscious mind
and the knowledge of how to apply these powers to lead a full and happy life. Get it out
of your head once and for all that 65, 75, or 85 years of age is synonymous with the end
for you or anybody else. It can be the beginning of a glorious, fruitful, active, and most
productive life pattern, better than you have ever experienced. Believe this, expect it, and
your subconscious will bring it to pass.
Welcome the change
Use self hypnosis to Turn Back Time – Feel Younger
Old age is not a tragic occurrence. What we call the aging process is really change. It is to
be welcomed joyfully and gladly as each phase of human life is a step forward on the
path, which has no end. Man has powers, which transcend his bodily powers. He has
senses, which transcend his five physical senses.
Scientists today are finding positive indisputable evidence that something conscious in
man can leave his present body and travel thousands of miles to see, hear, touch, and
speak to people even though his physical body never leaves the couch on which it
reclines.
Man’s life is spiritual and eternal. He need never grow old for Life, or God, cannot grow
old. The Bible says that God is Life. Life is self renewing, eternal, indestructible, and is
the reality of all men.
Evidence for survival
The evidence gathered by the psychical research societies both in Great Britain and
America is overwhelming. You may go into any large metropolitan library and get
volumes on The Proceedings of the Psychical Research Society based on findings of
distinguished scientists on survival following so-called death. You will find a startling
report on scientific experiments establishing the reality of life after death in The Case for
Psychic Survival by Hereward Carrington, Director of the American Psychical Institute.
Life is
A woman asked Thomas Edison, the electrical wizard, “Mr. Edison, what is electricity?”
He replied, “Madame, electricity is. Use it.” Electricity is a name we give an invisible
power which we do not fully comprehend, but we learn all we can about the principle of
electricity and its uses. We use it in countless ways.
The scientist cannot see an electron with his eyes, yet he accepts it as a scientific fact,
because it is the only valid conclusion, which coincides with his other experimental
evidence. We cannot see life. However, we know we are alive. Life is, and we are here to
express it in all its beauty and glory.
Mind and spirit do not grow old
The Bible says, and this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God.
JOHN 17:3.
The man who thinks or believes that the earthly cycle of birth, adolescence, youth,
maturity, and old age is all there is to life, is indeed to be pitied. Such a man has no
anchor, no hope, no vision, and to him life has no meaning.
This type of belief brings frustration, stagnation, cynicism, and a sense of hopelessness
resulting in neurosis and mental aberrations of all kinds. If you cannot play a fast game of
tennis, or swim as fast as your son, or if your body has slowed down, or you walk with a
slow step, remember life is always clothing itself anew. What men call death is but a
journey to a new city in another dimension of Life.
I say to men and women in my lectures that they should accept what we call old age
gracefully. Age has its’ own glory, beauty, and wisdom, which belong to it. Peace, love,
joy, beauty, happiness, wisdom, good will, and understanding are qualities, which never
grow old or die.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, poet and philosopher, said, “We do not count a man’s years until
he has nothing else to count.” Your character, the quality of your mind, your faith, and
your convictions are not subject to decay.
You are as young as you think you are
I give public lectures in Caxton Hall, London, England, every few years, and following
one of these lectures, a surgeon said to me, “I am 84 years of age. I operate every
morning, visit patients in the afternoons, and I write for medical and other scientific
journals in the evening.” His attitude was that he was as useful as he believed himself to
be, and that he was as young as his thoughts. He said to me, “It’s true what you said,
‘Man is as strong as he thinks he is, and as valuable as he thinks he is.’” This surgeon has
not surrendered to advancing years. He knows that he is immortal. His final comment to
me was, “If I should pass on tomorrow, I would be operating on people in the next
dimension, not with a surgeon’s scalpel, but with mental and spiritual surgery.”
Your gray hairs are an asset
Don’t ever quit a job and say, “I am retired; I am old; I am finished.” That would be
stagnation, death, and you would be finished. Some men are old at 30, while others are
young at 80. The mind is the master weaver, the architect, the designer, and the sculptor.
George Bernard Shaw was active at 90, and the artistic quality of his mind had not
relaxed from active duty. I meet men and women who tell me that some employers
almost slam the door in their faces when they say they are over 40. This attitude on the
part of the employers is to be considered cold, callous, evil, and completely void of
compassion and understanding. The total emphasis seems to be on youth, i.e., you must
be under 35 years of age to receive consideration. The reasoning behind this is certainly
very shallow. If the employer would stop and think, he would realize that the man or
woman was not selling his age or gray hair, rather, he was willing to give of his talents,
his experience, and his wisdom gathered through years of experience in the market place
of life.
Age is an asset
Your age should be a distinct asset to any organization, because of your practice and
application through the years of the principles of the Golden Rule and the law of love and
good will. Your gray hair, if you have any, should stand for greater wisdom, skill, and
understanding. Your emotional and spiritual maturity should be a tremendous blessing to
any organization. A man should not be asked to resign when he is 65 years of age. That is
the time of life when he could be most useful in handling personnel problems, making
plans for the future, making decisions, and guiding others in the realm of creative ideas
based on his experience and insight into the nature of the business.
Be your age
A motion picture writer in Hollywood told me that he had to write scripts, which would
cater to the twelve year old mind. This is a tragic state of affairs if the great masses of
people are expected to become emotionally and spiritually mature. It means that the
emphasis is placed on youth in spite of the fact that youth stands for inexperience, lack
of discernment, and hasty judgment.
I can keep up with the best of them
I am now thinking of a man 65 years of age who is trying frantically to keep young. He
swims with young men every Sunday, goes on long hikes, plays tennis, and boasts of his
prowess and physical powers, saying, “Look, I can keep up with the best of them!”
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Joseph Murphy: The Power of your Sub-Conscious Mind
He should remember the great truth: As a man thinketh in his heart, so is
he. PROV. 23:7. Diets, exercises, and games of all kinds will not keep this man young. It
is necessary for him to observe that he grows old or remains young in accordance with
his processes of thinking. Your subconscious mind is conditioned by your thoughts. If
your thoughts are constantly on the beautiful, the noble, and the good, you will remain
young regardless of the chronological years.
Fear of old age
Job said, The thing which I greatly feared is come upon me. There are many people who
fear old age and are uncertain about the future, because they anticipate mental and
physical deterioration as the years advance. What they think and feel comes to pass.
You grow old when you lose interest in life, when you cease to dream, to hunger after
new truths, and to search for new worlds to conquer. When your mind is open to new
ideas, new interests, and when you raise the curtain and let in the sunshine and inspiration
of new truths of life and the universe, you will be young and vital.
You Have much to give
If you are 65 or 95 years of age, realize you have much to give. You can help stabilize,
advise, and direct the younger generation. You can give the benefit of your knowledge,
your experience, and your wisdom. You can always look ahead for at all times you are
gazing into infinite life. You will find that you can never cease to unveil the glories and
wonders of life. Try to learn something new every moment of the day, and you will find
your mind will always be young.
One hundred and ten years old
Some years ago while lecturing in Bombay, India, I was introduced to a man who said he
was 110 years old. He had the most beautiful face I have ever seen. He seemed
transfigured by the radiance of an inner light. There was a rare beauty in his eyes
indicating he had grown old in years with gladness and with no indication that his mind
had dimmed its lights.
Retirement-a new venture
Be sure that your mind never retires. It must be like a parachute, which is no good unless
it opens up. Be open and receptive to new ideas. I have seen men of 65 and 70 retire.
They seemed to rot away, and in a few months passed on. They obviously felt that life
was at an end. Retirement can be a new venture, a new challenge, a new path, the
beginning of the fulfillment of a long dream. It is inexpressibly depressing to hear a man
say, “What shall I do now that I am retired?” He is saying in effect, “I am mentally and
physically dead. My mind is bankrupt of ideas.”
All this is a false picture. The real truth is that you can accomplish more at 90 than you
did at 60, because each day you are growing in wisdom and understanding of life and the
universe through your new studies and interest.
He graduated to a better job
An executive, who lives near me, was forced to retire a few months ago because he had
reached the age of 65. He said to me, “I look upon my retirement as promotion from
kindergarten to the first grade.” He philosophized in this manner: He said that when he
left high school, he went up the ladder by going to college. He realized this was a step
forward in his education and understanding of life in general. Likewise, he added, now he
could do the things he had always wanted to do, and therefore, his retirement was still
another step forward on the ladder of life and wisdom.
He came to the wise conclusion that he was no longer going to concentrate on making a
living. Now he was going to give all his attention to living life. He is an amateur
photographer, and he took additional courses on the subject. He took a trip around the
world and took movies of famous places. He now lectures before various groups, lodges,
and clubs, and is in popular demand.
There are countless ways of taking an interest in something worthwhile outside yourself.
Become enthusiastic over new creative ideas, make spiritual progress, and continue to
learn and to grow. In this manner you remain young in heart, because you are hungering
and thirsting after new truths, and your body will reflect your thinking at all times.
You must be a producer and not a prisoner of society
The newspapers are taking cognizance of the fact that the voting population of the elderly
in California elections is increasing by leaps and bounds. This means that their voices
will be heard in the legislature of the state and also in the halls of Congress. I believe
there will be enacted a federal law prohibiting employers from discrimination against
men and women because of age.
A man of 65 years may be younger mentally, physically, and physiologically than many
men at 30. It is stupid and ridiculous to tell a man he cannot be hired because he is over
40. It is like saying to him that he is ready for the scrap heap or the junk pile.
What is a man of 40 or over to do? Must he bury his talents and hide his light under a
bushel? Men, who are deprived and prevented from working because of age must be
sustained by government treasuries at county, state, and federal levels. The many
organizations who refuse to hire them and benefit from their wisdom and experience will
be taxed to support them. This is a form of financial suicide.
Man is here to enjoy the fruit of his labor, and he is here to be a producer and not a
prisoner of society, which compels him to idleness. Man’s body slows down gradually as
he advances through the years, but his conscious mind can be made much more active,
alert, alive, and quickened by the inspiration from his subconscious mind. His mind, in
reality, never grows old. Job said, Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when
God preserved me; When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked
through darkness; As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my
tabernacle. JOB 29:24.
Secret of youth
To recapture the days of your youth, feel the miraculous, healing, self renewing power of
your subconscious mind moving through your whole being. Know and feel that you are
inspired, lifted up, rejuvenated, revitalized, and recharged spiritually. You can bubble
over with enthusiasm and joy, as in the days of your youth, for the simple reason that you
can always mentally and emotionally recapture the joyous state.
The candle, which shines upon your head, is divine intelligence, and reveals to you
everything you need to know; it enables you to affirm the presence of your good,
regardless of appearances. You walk by the guidance of your subconscious mind, because
you know that the dawn appears and the shadows flee away.
Get a vision
Instead of saying, “I am old,” say, “I am wise in the way of the Divine Life.” Don’t let
the corporation, newspapers, or statistics hold a picture before you of old age, declining
years, decrepitude, senility, and uselessness. Reject it, for it is a lie. Refuse to be
hypnotized by such propaganda. Affirm life—not death. Get a vision of yourself as
happy, radiant, successful, serene, and powerful.
Your mind does not grow old
Former President Herbert Hoover, now 88 years old, is very active and is performing
monumental work. I interviewed him a few years ago in his suite at the Waldorf Astoria,
New York City. I found him healthy, happy, vigorous, and full of life and enthusiasm. He
was keeping several secretaries busy handling his correspondence and was himself
writing books of a political and historical nature. Like all great men, I found him affable,
genial, amiable, loving, and most understanding.
His mental acumen and sagacity gave me the thrill of a lifetime. He is a deeply religious
man, and is full of faith in God and in the triumph of the eternal truth of life. He was
subjected to a barrage of criticism and condemnation in the years of the great depression,
but he weathered the storm and did not grow old in hatred, resentment, ill will, and
bitterness. On the contrary, he went into the silence of his soul, and communing with the
Divine Presence within him, he found the peace, which is the power at theheart of God.
His mind active at ninety-nine
My father learned the French language at 65 years of age, and became an authority on it
at 70. He made a study of Gaelic when he was over 60, and became an acknowledged and
famous teacher of the subject. He assisted my sister in a school of higher learning and
continued to do so until he passed away at 99. His mind was as clear at 99 as it was when
he was 20. Moreover, his handwriting and his reasoning powers had improved with age.
Truly, you are as old as you think and feel.
We need our senior citizens
Marcus Porcius Cato, the Roman patriot, learned Greek at 80. Madame Ernestine
Schumann-Heink, the great German American contralto, reached the pinnacle of her
musical success after she became a grandmother. It is wonderful to behold the
accomplishments of the oldsters. General Douglas MacArthur, Harry S. Truman, General
Dwight David Eisenhower, and American financier Bernard Baruch are interesting,
active, and contributing their talents and wisdom to the world.
The Greek philosopher Socrates, learned to play musical instruments when he was 80
years old. Michelangelo was painting his greatest canvases at 80. At 80, Cios Simonides
won the prize for poetry, Johann von Goethe finished Faust, and Leopold von Ranke
commenced his History of the World, which he finished at 92. Alfred Tennyson wrote a
magnificent poem, “Crossing the Bar,” at 83. Isaac Newton was hard at work close to 85.
At 88 John Wesley was directing, preaching, and guiding Methodism. We have several
men of 95 years who come to my lectures, and they tell me they are in better health
now than they were at 20.
Let us place our senior citizens in high places and give them every opportunity to bring
forth the flowers of Paradise. If you are retired, get interested in the laws of life and the
wonders of your subconscious mind. Do something you have always wanted to do.
Study new subjects, and investigate new ideas. Pray as follows: As the hart panteth after
the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. PSALM 42:1.
The fruits of old age
His flesh shall be fresher than a child’s: he shall return to the days of his youth. JOB
33:25. Old age really means the contemplation of the truths of God from the highest
standpoint. Realize that you are on an endless journey, a series of important steps in the
ceaseless, tireless, endless ocean of life. Then, with the Psalmist you will say, They shall
still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing. PSALM 92:14.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. GALATIANS 5:2223.
You are a son of Infinite Life, which knows no end, and you are a child of Eternity.
Profitable pointers
1. Patience, kindness, love, good will, joy, happiness, wisdom, and understanding are
qualities, which never grow old. Cultivate them and express them, and remain young in
mind and body.
2. Some research physicians say that the neurotic fear of the effects of time may well be
the cause of premature aging.
3. Age is not the flight of years; it is the dawn of wisdom in the mind of man.
4. The most productive years of your life can be from 65 to 95.
5. Welcome the advancing years. It means you are moving higher on the path of life,
which has no end.
6. God is Life, and that is your life now. Life is self renewing, eternal, and indestructible,
and is the reality of all men. You live forever, because your life is God’s life.
7. Evidence of survival after death is overwhelming. Study Proceedings of Psychical
Research Society of Great Britain and America in your library. Outstanding scientists
base the work on the scientific research for over 75 years.
8. You cannot see your mind, but you know you have a mind. You cannot see spirit, but
you know that the spirit of the game, the spirit of the artist, the spirit of the musician, and
the spirit of the speaker is real. Likewise, the spirit of goodness, truth, and beauty moving
in your mind and heart are real. You cannot see life, but you know you are alive.
9. Old age may be called the contemplation of the truths of God from the highest
standpoint. The joys of old age are greater than those of youth. Your mind is engaged in
spiritual and mental athletics. Nature slows down your body so that you may have the
opportunity to meditate on things divine.
10. We do not count a man’s years until he has nothing else to count. Your faith and
convictions are not subject to decay.
11. You are as young as you think you are. You are as strong as you think you are. You
are as useful as you think you are. You are as young as your thoughts.
12. Your gray hair is an asset. You are not selling your gray hairs. You are selling your
talent, abilities, and wisdom, which you have garnered through the years.
13. Diets and exercises won’t keep you young. As a man thinketh, so is he.
14. Fear of old age can bring about physical and mental deterioration. The thing I greatly
feared has come upon me.
15. You grow old when you cease to dream, and when you lose interest in life. You grow
old if you are irritable, crotchety, petulant, and cantankerous. Fill your mind with the
truths of God and radiate the sunshine of His love—this is youth.
16. Look ahead, for at all times you are gazing into infinite life.
17. Your retirement is a new venture. Take up new studies and new interests. You can
now do the things you always wanted to do when you were so busy making a living. Give
your attention to living life.
18. Become a producer and not a prisoner of society. Don’t hide your light under a
bushel.
19. The secret of youth is love, joy, inner peace, and laughter. In Him there is fullness of
joy. In Him there is no darkness at all.
20. You are needed. Some of the great philosophers, artists, scientists, writers, and others
accomplished their greatest work after they were 80 years old.
21. The fruits of old age are love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, and temperance.
22. You are a son of Infinite Life, which knows no end. You are a child of Eternity.
You are wonderful!
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