Age and wisdom do not necessarily go hand-in-hand. An accumulation of years is not always accompanied by an accumulation of knowledge. What we know will never be all that we can know. There is more. There will always be more.
But while it’s important to stay open to new ideas it’s just as important not to accept those new ideas at face value. Equally it’s vital that we revisit old ideas and opinions and refresh them in light of new information and changing attitudes.
Much of the mental anguish that we suffer is linked more to the past than to the present. What was has shaped what is. We carry pain from unaddressed issues. Past hurts are brought into the present. At a conscious level we can be functional. At a subconscious level we can be in turmoil.
Despite being troubled and unhappy, we can continue to exist…and so many of us do just that. Appearances can be deceptive.
The alternative, however, is to reach a point where the bright outweighs the bleak; where contentment is the driving force and happiness is the end result.
But that takes a great deal of self-confrontation, identifying the ties that bind us to the troubles of our past and either weakening or severing that connection.
We are who we are because of who we were. We can change.
The first step is wanting to change. The next is seeking out those people with the caring skills who can help.
Ultimately, however, the responsibility of change rests with the individual. And it is the individual who will reap the rewards.
Gary Bentley Counselling 