Do you think we lost the ability to enjoy life as we get older?

A few weeks ago, I started this discussion in mylot discussion forum. I was not able to find a suitable word to describe what I wanted to say, so end up using “lost” the ability to enjoy life.

You can read the whole discussion thread here http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/2022143.aspx

This discussion about ability to enjoy life attracts more than 50 responses. Those who join mylot are known as mylotters. Mylot pays you to take part in discussion, and to enjoy yourself, make friend and earn money. You can join mylot using this link http://www.mylot.com/?ref=scheng1

Many people felt strongly about the use of “lost ability to enjoy life”, they protested strongly and clearly that ability to enjoy life is never lost, however old we are.

I started the thread with the following introduction:

“Children are better at enjoying life than adults. Everything is fun when we were young. Eating ice-cream was enjoyable, climbing tree was enjoyable, watching the clouds and making up stories about fairies and dragons was enjoyable. It seems that when we get older, we lost our ability to enjoy the simple pleasure of life. Now eating chocolate and ice cream meant high fat, high calories, and we felt guilty. Climbing tree is out of question physically. Watching the clouds is deem as waste of time, and only permissible after we finish all our work. Do you think that we lost the ability to enjoy life as we get older? How do you enjoy life?”

What I meant to say that children are really good at enjoying life. When we were young, we really could absorb in our play, and forget about time passing.

Now that we are adults, the ability to enjoy life is limited by time and energy level. After a tiring day at work, we think of dinner, the housework, and whatever we need to do. The last thing we think of is to enjoy life. Even if we want to spend the evening hours playing games, we know that time is limited to enjoy life. Our natural intention is to finish all our work before we sit down and relax.

Not many people are fortunate to enjoy their work. If you do not enjoy your work, you will find that working hours are long and tiring. The ability to enjoy life is limited at working location. Only those who enjoy their work, can kindle the enjoyment of life when they are working.

While some people agree that adults are worse than children at enjoying life, they disagreed to the factor causing the reduction of our abilities to enjoy life.

One comment states “You cease to enjoy life not as you get older, but as you begin to loose curiosity that a child has. When this curiosity is lost, everything is lost and life becomes dull and seems to be a burden.”

I agree with his comment. When we lost the curiosity, we cease to enjoy life. When nothing is interesting anymore, we will not enjoy life. Imagine your friend asking you to go for holiday in other countries, but you are not curious to find out the culture or see the nature in other countries. Then how can you enjoy life? You do not enjoy life when you have no curiosity about anything else.

Another interesting comment is “I enjoy life by learning new things. Having hobbies to keep me busy. Watching your grandchildren growing up. I think there are many ways to enjoy your life when you get older you just have to be open to it and not feel because you are old or older that life is over for you.”

I agree with her that to enjoy life, we must learn new things. When we were young, we saw wonders in everything around us. We wondered why the grass is green and the sky is blue. We enjoy life by wondering about nature. We enjoy life by watching the blue sky, and the green grass.

We should never lose the ability to enjoy life if we keep on learning.

Another interesting comment from a mylotter “Adults enjoy life differently, from massages, to owning property, owning cars etc.”

She is right in pointing out that adults can never enjoy life the same way as kids. We enjoy life from activities that bored children. We can never enjoy life by playing catching anymore. We can never enjoy life by biting the books. We can never enjoy life by pulling the tail of the dog.

We enjoy life by shopping, owing property and so on. We enjoy life by taking holiday, tanning at the beach and so on.

I love the comment by another mylotter “I still do listen to the chirping birds and even watch them while they play and fly around the branches of my mango tree. I also do still watch clouds, the stars, and I actually do stare at the heavens most a lot specially during the night together with my husband because by doing so, we could, all the more praise the wonderful God that created those things. I still do enjoy simple things despite the busy life because I know how to balance my life. I think one just has to start and live life rightly. Age is not a hindrance to enjoy the happiness this life could offer.”

She has so rightly pointed out that ability to enjoy life is ageless. We do not need to spend money to enjoy life. We do not need to make a lot of effort to enjoy life. Enjoying life is simple, and requires us to slow down, and take the time to enjoy nature.

Another beautiful saying by one wise mylotter “Children enjoy life because they live in the moment. That ice cream is the only thing they are focused on--the coldness, the taste, the texture, how it feels to eat it on a hot day. They are totally in that moment and don't allow other thoughts to crowd in and spoil their enjoyment.”

That is really the best way to enjoy life. When we are so absorbed in doing the things we like, we are enjoying life. Sometimes when work is so absorbing, it becomes enjoyable too. I envy those who can enjoy their work, because they get to enjoy life whenever they work. I enjoy a cup of coffee in the afternoon with cookies.

Do you enjoy life by taking short break too? Do you enjoy life when your focus is on food, and nothing else? Do you have any activity that you enjoy so much? Do try to spend more time to enjoy life.

Another mylotter brought some food for thought “The allegories you presented are quite true. However, with a few exceptions, children are expected to act like children. If we seniors acted like children, not only would we feel foolish, but our children would have us declared incompetent. Then, they'd commit us to a nursing home where we'd be kept under lock and key. I prefer to be more sedate. I just bought a new car, a red one. That brought joy to my hum drum life. I enjoy sewing, gardening and attending the services of the church. I get a kick out of planting those trees I can no longer climb. They'll be there for my great grandchildren, who are not yet born.”

It is true that society expects us to behave accordingly to our status and age. You cannot expect the CEO of a big company to climb tree, when there is a board meeting going on. He cannot claim to enjoy life this way. He can enjoy life by going to the golf course. He can enjoy life by fine dining. But, he no longer has the ability to enjoy life in this capacity as a CEO.

No matter how we enjoy life, we can never enjoy life as much as the innocent kids. So parents, do let your children enjoy life. Do not let them grow up too soon. They have to learn to compete in a competitive world, but they should enjoy life when they are young. Once they enter society as a working adult, they can never enjoy life as much as kids do.

One mylotter pointed out “I do not agree we lost the ability to enjoy life as we get older. It is just we forgot how to enjoy life as we get older. This is because we are burdened by the demands of life to remember what is real joy that comes from the bottom of our heart. Even eating a cone of ice-cream can make one guilty, how to enjoy life?

It is true that we cannot enjoy life if we worry too much. If we are too conscious of our appearance, and our status in life, we can never enjoy life. If we have to think about time in term of monetary terms, how to enjoy life? If watching clouds is a waste of time, how to enjoy life?

If drinking a cup of coffee means all kinds of bad effects on health, how to enjoy life? If running means risk of injury to the kneecap, how to enjoy life? If we worry too much, we cannot never enjoy life. Anyway life is short, and meant for enjoyment, do slow down and enjoy life. It is better to enjoy life when you are healthy, than to think of enjoying life after you suffered a burnt out.

We have to be silly sometimes to enjoy life. We have to forget who we are, and pretend that we are young to enjoy life. We have to forsake societal norm to enjoy life. When we go overseas for holidays, we should enjoy life as a tourist, not as the manager or executive or civil servant.

On a positive note, one mylotter said “As we age, all the more that we enjoy life. Not only are we more capable financially, but we are more experienced in life. We know what we want. We know where we want to go. We learn so many things. We have freedom.”

As an adult, we have the freedom and financial ability to enjoy life. We should enjoy life more. Children have to beg their parents to buy toys for them, so that they can enjoy life by playing with new toys. For us, we should enjoy life more, since we can buy for ourselves, and do not need to beg our parents.

Sometimes as adults, we forget that we can enjoy life. We forget to spend time to enjoy life. We forget that all the bills that we pay at the end of the months are supposed to make us enjoy life more. We forget that we have the ability and the means to enjoy life to the fullest.

Life is enjoyable. Do enjoy life. If you forget how to enjoy life, do learn. You have many more years to live. You will be happier when you enjoy life.

Back to the question of Do you think we lost the ability to enjoy life as we get older?
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Do read all the earlier part of How to enjoy life in this blog. There are many ways to enjoy life. Choose the most enjoyable activity, and you will enjoy happiness!