No doubt you have heard the expression "he or she is an old soul". I've met many people, young people who seem to be "old souls" They seem to have special wisdom, better clarity on how the world unfolds...certainly a better understanding of life's deeper meaning than I have.
As an older person, beginning to gain small amounts of wisdom, I'm convinced I must be a "young soul", even an adolescent soul, impetuous, chasing all that glitters, like a puppy that can't decide which toy to play with. One friend many years ago referred to me as a "flake". Geez, the truth can be painful, but not too much for a young soul like me. I was too flakey at the time to grasp the accusation!
Just because I changed jobs every time I received another offer -- just because I couldn't maintain relationships, just because I loved to move (my mother said I moved every time the rent came due)...and just because I have embraced all matter of change and pounced on all kinds of things that looked good at the time, does that make me flakey? Well perhaps, or maybe that kind of behavior is just indicative of a "young soul".
Oh I admire, even envy, old souls though they don't seem to have as much fun as young souls. I do sense the elder souls get some entertainment out of we young souls. In business I really admire the old souls. It seems to provide them a prescient edge. Take for instance real estate investors who buy properties and have visions of developing those properties over decades and do so successfully. It's a challenge for me to have any sense of the future beyond the now.The notion that I would ever age by a decade always escaped me. I must be a toddler soul! I've sold out of most ventures, just when they were warming up. My old soul partners made a lot more money that I did, but I've always enjoyed the start-up phase.
We young souls are so emotionally volatile - while older souls have a much more calm approach to life. The well seasoned souls seem to never bet too high, nor too low. They are so even keel, even in rough seas. We young souls do seem to laugh harder, and cry harder as well. I cry at all movies seriously...must be a baby soul!!
Here's the rub, old souls vs. new souls presupposes some on-going participation in the Universe. Reincarnation if you will, a concept which as a young soul I have trouble grasping. So, I wonder if older souls than mine believe in that stuff. I wonder if old souls have some awareness of having been a young soul previously. I hope so. I'd definitely like to try being an old soul one day, but it doesn't seem to be likely in this life time.
Oh well, it's cool to be alive and wondering about my soul. I am resolving to make 2015 a determinative year, a year in which I reach some level of middle aged soul Nirvana. I'm committed to tempering my youthful enthusiasm with a splash or two of experience based wisdom. After all things that are tempered are stronger. Did a young soul just say that?
Happy 2015 to all souls young and old! May we all eventually become like Old King Cole... Jolly Old Souls.
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