INTO THE SIXTIES
SOME SERENE THOUGHTS
BY FIROZE SAMEER

The RCEM-61 Group guys cross their sixties now, and should attune body and mind to accept their frailties which undoubtedly will begin to set in steadily but surely.

Some in subconscious desperation may try to disguise their fairly solid façade deteriorated by age, sloth and self-indulgence, bypasses and stents, diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol, impaired vision, graying/receding hairline, and the like, all have their adverse impact in eroding the structure. Sixties is the time for prayer and spiritual meditation over sex (Cupid/Viagra 50mg for some)and intoxication (Dry Martini shaken not stirred with slices of orange peel for others), let alone the puff on that fag (king-sized Benson & Hedges, filter-tipped for a few); preparation towards achieving that halcyon realm of peace and prosperity; a time for deep reflection. As U.S. President Barack Obama promulgated his recipe for change, we guys too are forced to take that cue at this critical juncture, otherwise continue with our bad habits transforming them into second nature which becomes irreversible, accelerating the declining process. In the brief balance period of our lives, the whiz-kids will know good health becomes the watchword.

So, guys, take heed and do not throw caution to the winds during this year 2009 onwards; a year where the global financial crisis sweeps across many a powerful nation; a time where Madoffs, Kotelawalas and Sakvithi Ranasinghes pulled off their swindling scams bringing about the dreaded downfall of many a mandarin; an era where billionaries became millionaires (some folk don’t have a concept of how huge a million is all about: as Ian Fleming in his Thrilling Cities wrote, a million days wouldn’t have passed until the year AD 2738!), the beggar remains unaffected, the middle-upper/ lower classes bear the crunch.

Time arrived where most guys were retired at 55 but continue in employment or trade and will keep going perhaps until the arrival of 65? What will it be like to those who reach the Psalmist Span of three score and ten years at 70? Some will dispute old age has still to set in. Others will accept that fate in humility. But, as that great British author W Somerset Maugham, CH, in his Summing Up stated, “The beauty of the morning and the radiance of the noon are good, but it would be a very silly person who drew the curtains and turned on the light in order to shut out the tranquility of the evening.”

It’s heartening to note that over 80% of the RCEM-61 guys moved out of the stone age across the IT wave which hit us like a tornado, and are adept behind a PC/laptop, communicating (even the silent ones) via email. It is hoped they will perhaps keep up with the times and trends and enjoy the changes as and when they occur.

As Aristotle (384-322BC) taught in his Ethics to students in the Lyceum in ancient Greece, pure friendships are those in which two people simply enjoy one another’s company. Our friendships have lasted; since Jan-1955 and since Jan-1961. In order to realize at what stage of age we are really in, imagine us in the GCE/OLs in 1965, our dads were then in their late forties/early fifties; we considered them as old then. Now we are a decade older than that!

What matters in the end will be those specific joyful times, events and experiences we shared with our family, amongst us guys at RPS/RCC; those other times when we would meet and greet in homeland and in various points of the globe at specific times of our lives; the short trips made by some together; conversations over lunches and dinners we’ve had; general interactions over the phone, mobile and text messaging; the extensive exchanges over email on almost a daily basis.

There was a time in the 1950s when one saw the 2000s as a distant unreachable horizon; now it has arrived, come to pass and way behind us. Time will surely slip by slowly, and we shall grow gracefully older by the day. Let us take and live a day at a time and enjoy the present moment. Let’s all continue with our lives modestly amidst the hectic pace of changes and turmoil amongst the youth, and enjoy the passing scene with a knowing smile. Let’s carry on with our families while continuing to network with RCEM-61. Let’s be an exemplary generation-group to be emulated by the youth in the years ahead.

25 April, 2009