Viaticum for old age
Start preparing now to live well your whole life
What works well for us at one point doesn't work so well at another. This is true of the clothes we wear, how we exercise, what we eat, and even the places we live. As we grow older, our bodies change, our physical requirements change, our work changes, and we change in countless other ways.
“What is the best thing to have on hand for age?”
This was the question asked by an old man who came to see Musonius Rufus. Musonius replied, “The same thing that is best for youth—to live the right way in accordance with nature—is best for old age.”
Musonius elaborated on his answer and gave this viaticum (provision for the journey) for old age:
1. Always be defined by your excellence
We certainly would not consider that a horse reaches its potential by eating, drinking, and mating as it pleases and doing none of the proper things to fulfill its function. Neither would a dog reach its potential if it enjoyed all kinds of pleasures like the horse, but none of the things for which dogs are considered good. In short, nothing can be said to be living according to nature unless its actions show its excellence according to its own nature. The nature of each guides it to its own excellence.
It is no different for human beings. We cannot achieve human excellence if we just pursue pleasure. We achieve excellence when we live according to nature. This is when we deserve praise and can rightly think of ourselves as hopeful and courageous. A cheerful nature and serene joy habitually accompany these attributes.
Qualities such as intelligence, justice, courage, and self-control can be considered divine. When we emulate these qualities, we become godlike. It is then that we are envied because we are happy. Yet our virtues do not come from anywhere other than our nature. So whether we are young or old, we should live according to our nature.
When trained to be in accordance with nature, you will not be bothered by anything that happens. Suppose, by good fortune, you took the trouble to get the right education while still young. Suppose you have mastered the lessons considered good and put them into practice. You would use these lessons to live according to nature in your old age. You would not complain about the loss of youthful pleasures, fret at the weakness of your body, or be upset when neighbours overlook you and friends and relatives neglect you. You would have a good antidote for all these things in your own mind—your past training.
2. Fill in your knowledge gap
On the other hand, suppose you have not received a proper education but are eager for better things and can be swayed by proper teaching. You will benefit if you seek out people whose business it is to know:
what is helpful and what is harmful to us,
how we can get what is helpful and avoid what is harmful, and
how to accept calmly what appears to be bad, but is not really so.
If you are persuaded by these things and act on them—it is no use to hear them if you don’t act on them—you would deal with old age very well. In particular, you would be free from the fear of death, the fear that most disturbs and weighs upon old people, as though they had forgotten that death is a debt that we all owe.
3. Don’t consider wealth as your protection
The best thing to have on hand during old age is, as we discussed before, living according to nature and doing and thinking what is right. An old person who follows this would be cheerful and be praised by others and, therefore, would live happily and honourably. But anyone who thinks wealth is the greatest comfort for old people and that those who have it will not be sorry is mistaken. Wealth lets people enjoy food, drink, and other sensual pleasures, but it would never bring cheerfulness or freedom from sorrow to a wealthy person. Consider how many rich people are full of sadness and despair and think that they are miserable. Therefore, wealth cannot be a good protection for old age.
Wealth lets people enjoy food, drink, and other sensual pleasures, but it would never bring cheerfulness or freedom from sorrow to a wealthy person … Therefore, wealth could not be a good protection for old age. - Musonius Rufus (Stobaeus, 4.50)
4. Don’t fear death; it is no evil
Don’t fear death. It is no evil. Yet, I am sure that what makes life miserable for old people is the fear of death. Death follows life. How could there be any trace of knowledge in a person who thinks that evil necessarily follows life, even the best-lived one?
The best life is the life of a good person. Yet, even they die in the end. Therefore, if you successfully master this lesson in your old age and accept death boldly without fear, you will have taken an important step towards living without regret and according to nature. You would gain this by associating with philosophers—not just in name, but in truth—as long as you are willing to follow their teachings.
Takeaways
We don’t need to make any special preparations to meet old age. We need to pay attention to:
Living in accordance with nature (living excellently);
Learning what we have failed to learn;
Not depending on wealth to protect us; and
Not fearing death.
Try this simple exercise
How have you been preparing for your old age? Are all your preparations financial? Have you considered making your mind strong enough to withstand old age? In particular:
Are you living according to nature, building your character and excellence so it will help you no matter what the future brings?
Are you attempting to fill gaps in your knowledge so you can be clear about what is useful and what is harmful?
Are you ridding yourself of the fear of death because it is no evil?
If not, train yourself in these areas to face your old age without fear.
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