They say that we older people need to keep our minds active, keep learning things. We're supposed to learn a foreign language, or do crossword puzzles, or practice the piano.
I've always resisted learning things just because I'm "supposed" to; hence, my less-than-stellar career in algebra and my brief fling with calculus. (I learned enough to pass the final; then immediately forgot it all.)
Something has to interest me. Otherwise I lose motivation, and my attention drifts off. I admit, this happened to me with photography. I got a camera, purchased photoshop, attended a class. But it seemed that everyone had already taken so many photos, why would the world need any more from me? Besides, I couldn't appreciate the difference between a really special photo and one that was ho-hum. So now I just take pictures of my family.
One thing I have learned recently is how to play pickleball. Honestly, it's a pretty easy game to pick up. It might be hard to get really good. But I don't aspire to that. I just want to have fun with a group of people at my local pickleball club.
The same could be said of my golf game . . . except I'm not learning anything new. I've played golf, off and on, for many years, and my ambition now is simply to have fun and not get any worse.
I've also learned about foreign policy in the past few years, because my wife and I have been doing a program called "Great Decisions in Foreign Policy" from the Foreign Policy Association. We just finished this year's eight-week program that covered China, Latin America, Iran, Global Famine and other topics.
Sometimes I think I'm learning enough medical information to become a doctor. Ten years ago I knew nothing about medicine. Now I've been to the heart doctor and have been schooled about drugs like Metoprolol. I've spent hours discussing Cortisone, Prednisone, knee surgery, hip surgery and other orthopedic issues with doctors, nurses, physician assistants, friends and family.
My guess is, by now you know a thing or two about medicine as well. Or are you learning something entirely different?
I'm now learning about the history of the 1960s. I've agreed to do a program for our senior learning center on the subject. It's interesting to me because I lived through the era, but I was in junior high and high school and going into college at the time, and I was only interested in my own little world, not the wider world.
I had no interest then in what was going on in Selma, Alabama, or Jackson, Mississippi. Of course I'd heard of Cuba. And I read about Watts. And the specter of Vietnam hung over all of us. But my mind was focused on whether Kathy liked Bobby better than she liked me (it turned out, she did), and whether I'd make the baseball team (I did, but mostly as a benchwarmer), and how I'd do on my SATs (good enough to get into my second-choice college, but not my first).
But now I find the world we grew up in holds a lot of interest to me. What was going on behind the scenes in the Kennedy White House? What was going on in Lyndon Johnson's mind as he wrestled with the problem of Vietnam? How did the Civil Rights movement achieve so much, only to self-destruct in hate and violence?
Besides all that, some of my friends are trying to get me interested in ChatGPT. I'm resisting, however, since I like my relationships to be human, and I already have a love/hate relationship with our google assistant.
Finally, I know I still have a few things to learn about marriage, and children. But those are topics for another post. Right now I've got enough to keep my mind awake and alert.
20 comments:
Learning a language is never a waste of time or effort. The only thing I know in russian is its alphabeth, and it helped me tremenduously while on a solo visit in Moscow. It helped me read the names of Metro stations (no english), the names on the monuments of WHO'S WHO in the famous cemetery of Novodevichi, and in other useful ways.
Um... wow! Tom I must say I was very impressed with this post--I've been thinking about this a lot lately (keeping my mind engaged), watched a video about dementia some time back and how we have to keep those neurons firing. Your foreign policy studies sound a bit dry but intriguing, but I especially like your studies of the 1960s. This is ironic as more & more I've been reading up on the 1970s (when I grew up)--Watergate, the energy crisis, etc. I've also been doing a lot of listening (and reading up on) music from the late 60s to mid 70s. Better late than never.
This is an amusing post. Had a few chuckles. I majored in Sociology at UH during the 1960s so I studied American society and all those issues you mentioned. I enjoyed Sociology but didn't have a career in it, ending up as a legal assistant. But reading the daily newspaper is a learning experience per se. So read it and learn.
Tom, keeping busy and keeping our minds engaged is important. I think it helps if you have a lot of imagination. Mine used to be overflowing... now it's still around, but doesn't seem quite as active. Still once I'm motivated, I generally enjoy what I'm doing.
I grew up in the 60's in New Orleans with the racial issues... and that is something I'll always remember. It's true that in high school and college we are more focused on ourselves than world issues, but then we weren't bombarded with the world news daily from every angle like we are now.
I have always loved science and the advancing technology today is fascinating to me. I know there are dangers, but so much has changed in my almost 78 years, that I can't help being amazed. AI is in the headlines now, and although scary, is still such a breakthrough...
Rian -- I'm all in favor of AI if it makes us smarter, but not if it does the smart things for us and just leaves us more stupider.
I don't learn much that's new but I do like puzzles and reading. I'm also learning that my short term memory is becoming challenge.
I have been working on genealogy and am surprised at how much I don't know and need to know about history. I just attended a class on obtaining Polish genealogy records and the presenter started with European Wars from 1700 to the present and the changing borders of Poland. So interesting. I also attended a class about Mennonite and Amish migration to Lancaster, PA. This started with a history lesson of oppression in Sweden, then Germany. I learned a lot of interesting facts. I really do enjoy learning new things and seek out classes of interest to me.
Still learning at 80+. Hoping it helps. My laptop crashed and my usual fixer (my son) was not available so with a heavy sigh I started hunting for answers on my phone and OMG I found something and it worked and said laptop is chugging along again. Surprised the heck out of me! Keep learning.
I don't know if this counts but I've been a thirty plus year non-fiction reader. I'm always learning something knew on a daily basis. This week is a lesson on Henry Morgan of pirate fame. Before that I learned about why Wager island off the SW coast of Chili became to be called that.
At the moment, I am not interested in the AI stuff except that it does help me to make selections in photo editing. While I could do it before, it is much m=quicker and more efficient to tell the program to select people. Once they are selected, however, I do the processing, not some algorithm. Photography enables me to be semi artistic, for I am not creative a=or artistic. I can recognize compositions and scenes when they are before me, however. At least to a certain degree.
I wish I could play pickle ball, but a guy with only one working foot is hopeless. I was moderately capable at both table tennis and real tennis back in the day, so I would probably love pickle ball.
I try and learn something new every month, or embrace some kind of small change within me. It can be challenging. One thing I never let go of is book reading or my fascination with films over the last century. Activism helps too in that it forces me to learn more about what I am advocating form keeping up to date on research, etc.
Blogging is enormously helpful, gathering thoughts and laying them down on paper/screen.
I have seen, first hand, the devastation of elder dementia and know it can happen and fairly quickly so am so very grateful to be still participating in life.
XO
WWW
Celia --
I am about as impressed as a guy could be!
Ed -- Is Captain Morgan rum named after Henry? I'm taking a course on pirates this summer, so maybe I'll find out.
And A/C, if you have photography ... you don't need pickleball.
I hear and read a lot about keeping the mind active and the benefits of physical exercise, but I'm a lazy sort of person who prefers to sleep in and just do the puzzles in the daily paper as well as reading a lot of fiction novels, watching TV each night after the news program. I do walk a fair bit because I don't drive, but the shops are only five minutes away so that's hardly long disance exercising. Even as a youngster I wasn't much into physical things apart from running around on the beach and splashing about in the water a lot. Still, I've made it this far and don't see why I wn't last a lot longer.
I also can't tell the difference between a really good photograph and every photo I've ever taken.
I walk or hike at least six days a week, which I think helps me cognitively as well as physically. At 80, I am also trying to find ways to stay engaged in life. Good post!
Keeping the mind active is challenging. When my husband developed Alzheimer’s I started taking him on trips, local and further away and taking loads of photographs. I changed my blog from being recollections about France to our trips (to help him.) I posted on my blog about these and he had to choose the photographs to go along the posts, and correct my English grammar (French is my native language.) I would bring 3 or 4 cameras and take at least 200 to 300 photos each time and he had to pick them. I think it helped him because when he passed, after 10 years (after a fall) the doctor was amazed he still could walk, feed himself and do some gardening. As for languages, I am still learning English! Apart from my native French I speak Italian and a spattering of Russian. I also learnt a bit of Portuguese and need to hit the books… As for the 60s I moved from Paris to San Francisco in 1961 and spent all the 60s there. That was a time and place to remember (that is where I met him.)
Like you, ChatGT leaves me cold and not intereted. I do word puzzles, photography, and learn some stuff from my Doctor. I read a LOT. I also take Master Classes on writing and photography and next will be history. I have always been a dtermined student.
Beautiful blog
I'm trying to learn new things, but my brain is a sieve.
I love that you continue to take courses and spread your wings with new ideas. I think the 60s study would be terribly interesting. Like you said, we lived it but we didn't really know it.
I am very much impressed with the idea of learning new things even in old age. I appreciate your effort. Your post will create enthusiasm in the minds of many readers and will show them the path of leading post-retirement life with full energy and enthusiasm.
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