Mankind has been searching for the elixir of youth for a long, long time. Anti ageing, the quest for youthfulness, indeed, the search for eternal life, is something innate in all of us. Even those who talk about an eternal blackness, of no consciousness, actually seek an unimaginably joyous eternity but sink into blackness because they have despaired of ever finding that. How unfortunate. The more so when we realize that a joyous, fruitful and fulfilling life is already within reach.

One can be old at nineteen and one can be full of zest at ninety. “Age is just a number” is more than a tired old cliche uttered by those seeking to recapture the joys of youth. But what is youth? Is it not a spirit of exuberance, of enthusiasm, of reveling in the moment? Is it not being grateful for the opportunity to become better with each experience that comes our way? Is it not soaking in the sunshine of mutually enriching relationships? Yes, our physical bodies, our human brains, will continue to degenerate and we will eventually die. That is a fact, and no amount of anti ageing measures is going to stop that. Go ahead, try to make life better, do what you can to slow down or even eradicate the ageing process. But if you do so in a spirit of desperation, with a morbid fear of death and decay, would not increasing your lifespan bring about greater misery? Your body might actually look better and become better, at least to outward appearances, but what are you like on the inside?

Be thankful that you are still alive, that there are people who cherish your presence, that there are colleagues who will actually miss having you around if you happen to leave and go elsewhere. That alone ought to give you cause for exuberance. And when you are exuberant, the fountain of youth breaks forth from you and refreshes all who are around you. Is not that a great anti ageing conditioner in its own right? Go ahead, exude exuberance right now!