Growing old is certain, growing up is a choice. This was raised in the Korpagama Webinar entitled How to Age Wisely on Friday (23/04). Aging is a physical condition experienced by everyone and accompanied by a decrease in body metabolism. On the other hand, becoming an adult is a choice because not everyone can become an adult in their old age.
Wisdom is an in-depth knowledge of life and interpersonal skills in the form of ego maturity and integrity. “Cognitive, affective, and reflective are internal factors while physical environment and social environment are external factors that can influence wisdom,” said Aisah Indati, Lecturer of the Faculty of Psychology UGM.
According to Aisah, wisdom in the elderly is in line with a healthy mental condition. Mental health criteria include having self-knowledge, self-acceptance, self-esteem, self-confidence, being able to control and develop oneself, and having a willingness to relate to others both interpersonally and socially.
Aisah also mentioned three key aspects to achieving wisdom in old age. The first aspect is having a sense of life satisfaction, meaning that you feel satisfied and grateful even though you have many weaknesses. The second aspect is being open in life (openness to experience), which is the ability to be willing to learn from others. And the last one is having a meaning of life or worth.
“Openness also includes communicating the pain that is felt both physically and psychologically. This is not something that needs to be kept to yourself. Openness can be a medium for achieving mental health and wisdom,” she said.
Always think positively about the future. And when a situation does not go as it should be then you must face it patiently, evaluate, and accept it as it is because nobody is perfect. These two are tips implemented by Aisah that make herself a cheerful and active person until her old age.
“The way to achieve wisdom is actually very simple to say, but sometimes it feels difficult to do,” she added.
Source: https://www.ugm.ac.id/id/berita/21053-menghadapi-masa-tua-dengan-bijaksana
