“How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were?” (Confucius)

“How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were?” (Confucius) Someone told me that aging is a very interesting process, taking on many different aspects as each season of our life is based on how we are spiritually, physically and emotionally. As Andrew Carnegie said: “As I got older, I stopped listening to what people said. Now I just pay attention to what they do.” Aging is a natural part of life, but how we cope, adapt to change and what we make of it is a personal experience. Most of us all have one thing in common: the desire to age gracefully, but also to feel strong both mentally and physically. Without access to the fountain of youth, we have to rely on practical and evolving methods to help us through the aging process, along with a lot of courage and wisdom. As the philosopher Sophocles said: “No one loves life so much as a man who is getting old.” Many of us know what it's like to be alone, even when we are surrounded by many people or friends. I believe we all need a particular person in our lives to whom we can tell our most private and secret thoughts and feelings. In other words, someone who knows who we really are, without any kind of masks! As Carl Jung said: “Loneliness does not come from not having people around, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to yourself.” He would have argued that loneliness arises when we don't communicate with people about what really matters to us, or when we stop ourselves from expressing our opinion on certain subjects simply for fear of rejection. As Bill Gates said: “The Internet provides the right information, at the right time, for the right purpose, but being inundated with information does not mean we have the right information or that we are in contact with the right people.” There are studies on “loneliness on social media” that conclude that the more time people spend connected to online networks, such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and others, the more alone they feel – even if they maintain relationships have satisfying social experiences outside the Internet and interact with a variety of people. Here's a suggestion, debit but not credit. That is, reading but not writing, consulting but not contributing, taking but without giving anything in return, obtaining information but without leaving any information about ourselves, as Plato said: “We must learn throughout our lives, without imagining that wisdom comes with old age.” Finally, use all the privacy that social networks were being forced to grant. It's well hidden, but it's there, because, thanks to European laws, it has to be there. The advantage of everything being a game is that someone wins. With a will, it's easy to get more from social media, Google, and the commercial Internet than they take from us. "The value of things is not in how long they last, but in the intensity with which they happen. That's why there are unforgettable moments, inexplicable things and incomparable people" (Fernando Pessoa)