We know of no Law, natural or man-made, comparable in consequence to the “Law of Gravity.” Yet, unlike Albert Einstein, we shamelessly confess to a complete state of ignorance, as to its nature; save only its perceived and existentially vital terrestrial impact on earthly life and its phenomena. Physicists advise that it is a fundamental force that draws other bodies or objects toward its center and, that as an astronomical matter, it maintains the planets in our solar system in fixed control and position around the sun. We might notably, and gratefully, add that gravity saves us and our two pet cats from the frightening hazard of falling off the surface of Planet Earth.
In addition to its existential significance to humankind, gravity can empirically, be denominated a “double-edged sword.” Aside from its impetus in occasional natural disasters (some aided by global warming), its life-essential function is regrettably, a notably hazardous source of human injury, disability, and consequent death.
During man’s childhood and youth, falling is customarily non-eventful; one easily gets up and, if outdoors, dusts himself off, suffering, perhaps, merely a scraped knee or elbow. In the context of the elderly, by contrast, a simple act like tripping on a rug or slipping on a wet floor and breaking a bone may be an event of disastrous consequence. A fracture in the older individual has the potential to develop into serious health problems, and disability and even result in death. The fear of such a possibility causes older citizens to delimit their physical activities and engagement in many formerly enjoyed activities. Ironically, it represents an unwanted success in the lifelong, frustrating aspiration for universal equality. Our elderly immigrant mother died from the ultimate effects of a fracture precipitated by a fall, as likewise did the internationally prominent, Sir Winston Churchill. We, now in the” anec-dotage” of our senior years, find the use of a three-wheeled, “walker” prudently, indispensable in our locomotion and secure maintenance of safe balance.
The individual who has wisely chosen our frequently recommended, life of extra-curricular engagement in personal elective interests predictably will have thereby added much contemplative and aesthetic value to his life. Such benefits notably increase exponentially in importance, during the natural process of growing old. Then, the rewarding lifetime practice of internalized contemplation and development of maturity of understanding and perception offers a full menu of enjoyment and fulfilling contemplative experiences, not requiring the hazards of mobility and its attendant pitfalls. The limitations, empirically implicit in the prudent restriction of ambulatory prowess are compensated by a full smorgasbord-like compendium of pleasant contemplative activity, grounded in prior lifelong, empirical experience and longstanding interest in elected areas of nuanced interest. The spiritual and mental rewards comprehend an enjoyable mode of accommodation to life’s inevitable limitation of physical activity.
Analogous to the temporal withdrawal of monetary capital from a previously established retirement or IRA account, one’s accumulated, lifetime activity of personal self-advancement yields the satisfying fruits of investment in one’s enlightenment, mature perspective, and ultimate quality of life, notably unhampered by the exorbitant price of the universe’s existential but precarious law of gravity.
*[Subtitle, as amended) borrowed from the novel by Erica Jong, “Fear of Flying”]
-p.
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