… granting that youth enjoys pleasures of that kind with a keener relish … although old age does not possess these pleasures in abundance, yet it is by no means wanting in them. Life’s race-course is fixed; Nature has only a single path and that path is run but once, and to each stage of existence has been allotted its own appropriate quality; so that the weakness of childhood, the impetuosity of youth, the seriousness of middle life, the maturity of old age — each bears some of Nature’s fruit, which must be garnered in its own season. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. For as Nature has marked the bounds of everything else, so she has marked the bounds of life. Writing to Atticus, he says of them, “They are transcripts; I simply supply words, and I’ve plenty of those.” His aim was to provide Rome with a kind of philosophical encyclopaedia. It is always intrigues me to learn that someone from over 2,000 years ago has already articulated some of the wisdom that we are rediscovering in this day and age. I especially enjoy his thoughts on immortality. Do whatever is to be done in proportion as you have the strength to do it … Use the advantages you have while you have them; when they are gone, don’t sit around wishing you could get them back. – We should try to remain healthy and active while accepting our limitations. A steadily higher percentage of humankind is “old.” We can generate enough wise elders to steady the tiller like the ship’s pilot whom Cicero described over 2000 years ago. Cicero’s treatise is ageless, and I believe it stands as well today as it did 2000 years ago. Both Plato and Aristotle had thought in terms of the city-state. 6. “On Old Age” is an essay written on the subject of aging and death. It has remained popular because of its profound subject matter as well as its clear and beautiful language. These writings were an attempt to interpret Roman history in terms of Greek political theory. It is not by muscle, speed, or physical dexterity that great things are achieved, but by reflection, force of character, and judgment; in these qualities old age is usually not … poorer, but is even richer. I am a woman and I think what he has written is for either male or female. He usually writes as a theist, but the only religious exaltation in his writings is to be found in the “Somnium Scipionis” (“Scipio’s Dream”) at the end of De republica. Cicero (106 BC – 43 BC) was a Roman politician and lawyer who is considered one of Rome’s greatest orators and prose stylists. – We should continually learn new things. Cicero conclusion reinforces the above themes: …my old age sits light upon me…, and not only is not burdensome, but is even happy. He also notes that we can lessen aging’s impact through exercise, moderation in food and drink, and by caring for our intellect. 9. “A good actor knows when to exit the stage.” This really caught not only my eye but also my heart. However, I am chastened by the fact that in the last election “Older voters (ages 65 and older) preferred Trump over Clinton 53%-45%.” (from the Pew Research Center, http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/09/behind-trumps-victory-divisions-by-race-gender-education/). Still, it is our intellect that we should cultivate as we age. Sex is overrated – We should accept physical limitations and enjoy other aspects of life. At my age, I don’t yearn for the physical vigor of a young man … any more than in my youth I yearned for the vigor of a bull or an elephant. Your email address will not be published. – Don’t cling to life—a good actor knows when to leave the stage. I’m so grateful to be introduced to it at my age 84. Charge #4 – Old age “is not far removed from death …”. 8. by Roman official, orator, and philosopher, Marcus Tullius Cicero, On Duties is a philosophical treatise on moral duty, or 'appropriateaction. Use whatever you have: that is the right way. 'It is written as a three-section letter, in lieu of a visit, to his son, Marcus Tullius Cicero Minor, who lived in … Liked it? As a group, my generation clearly failed to steer the American ship. Your email address will not be published. 1. Don’t fear death. Thanks for this piece too. 5. Often our bodies betray us in large part because we have mistreated them in our youth. Charge #1 – “Old age withdraws us from active pursuits  …”. 7. In religion he was an agnostic most of his life, but he had religious experiences of some profundity during an early visit to Eleusis and at the death of his daughter in 45. Gray, “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard”, Dickinson, “Because I could not stop for Death “, Noonan: “An Almost Absolute Value in History”, Warren: “On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion”, Williams: “The Wrongfulness of Euthanasia”, Steinbock: “The Morality of Killing Human Embryos”, Kass: “Beyond Therapy: Biotechnology & …”, Lauritzen: “Stem Cells, Biotech & Human Rights …”, Mappes: “Sexual Morality and the Concept of Using …”, Dwyer: “Illegal Immigrants, Health Care, & Social …”, Dickinson: “The Brain is wider than the Sky”, Frost, “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening”, Lighter as We Go: Virtues, Character Strengths, and Aging, Summary of Eric Hoffer’s, The True Believer, http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/09/behind-trumps-victory-divisions-by-race-gender-education/, A Philosopher’s Lifelong Search for Meaning, Summary of Bill Joy's, "Why the future doesn't need us,”, Summary of Aristotle's Theory of Human Nature, END OUR NATIONAL CRISIS: The Case Against Donald Trump. In this age of anxiety when the earth and all of the life on it appear to be threatened, Cicero’s essay “On Ageing” brings hope. For clearly (the impact of) death is negligible if it utterly annihilates the soul, or even desirable, if it conducts the soul to some place where it is to live forever. Take a second to support Dr John Messerly on Patreon! A new book on the topic that I recommend is Greenstein and Holland’s Lighter as We Go: Virtues, Character Strengths, and Aging (Oxford University Press). —moderation, wisdom, courage—in your youth. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. First, Cicero’s discourses offered the young Latin the equivalent of those of the Greek Demosthenes, and, second, Cicero’s theoretical treatises provided a technical vocabulary obviating the need for Greek manuals. To me, indeed, the thought of this “ripeness” for death is so pleasant, that the nearer I approach death the more I feel like one who is in sight of land at last and is about to anchor in his home port after a long voyage. As he puts it: Those… who allege that old age is devoid of useful activity… are like those who would say that the pilot does nothing in the sailing of his ship, because, while others are climbing the masts, or running about the gangways, or working at the pumps, he sits quietly in the stern and simply holds the tiller. A good old age begins in youth  – Cultivate the virtues that will serve you well in old age Subscribe to ReasonandMeaning and receive notifications of new posts by email. His output and range of subjects were astonishing: the lost De consolatione, prompted by his daughter’s death; Hortensius, an exhortation to the study of philosophy, which proved instrumental in St. Augustine’s conversion; the difficult Academica (Academic Philosophy), which defends suspension of judgement; De finibus, (is it pleasure, virtue, or something more complex? Cicero replies that older people remain active, just in different ways than their younger counterparts. Learn how your comment data is processed. We can be active in old age, with limitations. Pursue enjoyable, worthwhile activities. The bulk of his philosophical writings belong to the period between February 45 and November 44. This very old treatise is ageless, as Jerry says, and has no gender. Marcus Tullius Cicero, English byname Tully, (born 106 bce, Arpinum, Latium [now Arpino, Italy]—died December 7, 43 bce, Formiae, Latium [now Formia]), Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, and writer who vainly tried to uphold republican principles in … Old age can be a good part of life – You can live well in old age if you are wise. – Happiness derives in large part from doing productive work that gives us joy. The aged should exercise their minds. Marcus Tullius Cicero. Just as (a great actor) gives greater delight to the spectators in the front row at the theatre, and yet gives some delight even to those in the last row, so youth, looking on pleasures at closer range, perhaps enjoys them more, while old age, on the other hand, finds delight enough in a more distant view. My initial reaction to Cicero’s essay was very positive.

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