Mortimer Adler

"The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as long as we live. "

This quote from American philosopher Mortimer Adler has always attracted my attention, more so now that I am entering my fourth decade in life and early signs of physical decay are constant reminders of my mortality. A question that has always troubled me is what is worse, as one ages, physical or mental decline. As I watch my parents and my uncles get older, some have tended to develop serious physical ailments while maintaining excellent mental acuity and others seem to go down the hill mentally while physically in top shape.

Changing the subject, while reading recently about Bojangles, I came across a fascinating word, copasetic, that was a favorite of this American entertainer. I must confess that I had never heard nor used it before, but I do find it quite melodic and not without a certain charm.

As a recovering GAD patient, I have developed quite a low tolerance for adrenaline, and feel quite uncomfortable when I sense high doses of this hormone running through my veins. Lately I have been trying to live a life devoid of it, surrounded by my three comforting companions : Serenity, Equanimity, and Imperturbability. In one word, Ataraxis.

Staying on this subject I have always loved the following quote attributed to Thomas Jefferson: "Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain cool and unruffled under all circumstances".

I come from a family of hotheads where one shoots one's mouth off first and asks questions later. Most of us are ticking time bombs with extremely short fuses. Genetically, we were born doomed, or so I thought. Happily for me, at least, this is a thing of the past, as I have acquired new habits and gone through a monumental paradigm shift. (aren´t all paradigm shifts monumental ?).

Yesterday, I came across a fascinating website about personal development run by Steve Pavlina . I suspect I will be spending much time exploring it.