The Sky Gets Dark, Slowly
*The Sky Gets Dark, Slowly*
Mao Dun
literary prize winner Zhou Daxin’s latest novel to be published, “The Sky Gets
Dark, Slowly”, is a sensitive exploration of old age and the complex, hidden
emotional worlds of the elderly in a rapidly ageing population.
In it he writes, “…Many elderly speak as though they know everything, but of old age they are in fact as ignorant as children. Many elderly are in fact, completely unprepared for what they are to face when it comes to getting old and the road that lays ahead of them.
In the
time between a person turning 60 years old, as they begin to age, right until
all the lights go out and the sky gets dark, there are some situations to keep
in mind, so that you will be prepared for what is to come, and you will not
panic.
1. The people by your side will only continue to grow smaller in number. People in your parents’ and grandparents’ generation have largely all left, whilst many your peers will increasingly find it harder to look after themselves, and the younger generations will all be busy with their own lives. Even your wife or husband may depart earlier than you, or than you would expect, and what might then come are days of emptiness. You will have to learn how to live alone, and to enjoy and embrace solitude.
2. Society will care less and less for you. No matter how glorious your previous career was or how famous you were, ageing will always transform you into a regular old man and old lady. The spotlight no longer shines on you, and you have to learn to contend with standing quietly in one corner, to admire and appreciate the hubbub and views that come after you, and you must overcome the urge to be envious or grumble.
3. The road ahead will be rocky and full of precarity. Fractures, cardio-vascular blockages, brain atrophy, cancer… these are all possible guests that could pay you a visit any time, and you would not be able to turn them away. You will have to live with illness and ailments, to view them as friends, even; do not fantasise about stable, quiet days without any trouble in your body. Maintaining a positive mentality and get appropriate, adequate exercise is your duty, and you have to encourage yourself to keep at it consistently.
4. Prepare for bed-bound life, a return to the infant state. Our mothers brought us into this world on a bed, and after a journey of twists and turns and a life of struggle, we return to our starting point – the bed – and to the state of having to be looked after by others. The only difference being, where we once had our mothers to care for us, when we prepare to leave, we may not have our kin to look after us. Even if we have kin, their care may never come close to that of your mother’s; you will, more likely than not, be cared for by nursing staff who bear zero relation to you, wearing smiles on their faces all whilst carrying weariness and boredom in their hearts. Lay still and don’t be difficult; remember to be grateful.
5. There will be many swindlers and scammers along the way. Many of them know that the elderly have lots of savings, and will endlessly be thinking of ways to cheat them of their money: through scam phone calls, text messages, mail, food and product samples, get-rich-quick schemes, products for longevity or enlightenment… basically, all they want is to get all the money. Beware, and be careful, hold your money close to you. A fool and his money are soon parted, so spend your pennies wisely.
Before the sky gets dark, the last stretches of
life’s journey will gradually get dimmer and dimmer; naturally, it will be
harder to see the path ahead that you are treading towards, and it will be
harder to keep going forward. As such, upon turning 60, it would do us all well
to see life for what it is, to cherish what we have, to enjoy life whilst we
can, and to not take on society’s troubles or your children’s and
grandchildren’s affairs on for yourself. Stay humble, don’t act superior on
account of your own age and talk down to others – this will hurt yourself as
much as it will hurt others. As we get older, all the better should we be able
to understand what respect is and what it counts for. In these later days of
your lives, you have to understand what it means, to let go of your
attachments, to mentally prepare yourself. The way of nature is the way of
life; go with its flow, and live with equanimity.
The author :
Mao Dun (4 July 1896 – 27 March 1981) , a writer who said literature should not be an ''intoxication'' but whose ideology-laced works showed a psychological penetration, died today, the official news agency Xinhua reported. He was 85 years old.
Mr. Mao was best known for his 1933 novel ''
Mr. Mao was cultural minister from 1949 to 1965 and like many in the arts, was criticized during the Cultural Revolution of the late 1960's. In recent years, he was president of the Chinese Writers Association and editor of Chinese Literature, a magazine.
Mao Dun was a pen name. He was born Shen Yen-ping. Xinhua reported last month that Mr. Mao's ''Ordeal,'' which he wrote more than 30 years ago in Hong Kong, was about to be published for the first time. Mr. Mao wrote in the preface that he intended to write a five-volume novel giving a comprehensive description of major political and economic events in China. He had finished the first volume when he heeded a Communist Party call to take a post here, according to Xinhua.
In 1919, Mr. Mao and others founded a society encouraging realistic literature and opposing ''art for art's sake.'' In 1930, he joined the Chinese League of Left-Wing Writers. During China's war against Japan and the civil war, he was regarded as a major figure in the leftist arts movement in areas under the control of the Kuomintang.
Mr. Mao once wrote: ''Literature is not intended to provide relief for those who suffer from the ennui of life, but it performs a positive function of stimulating the human mind. Especially in our age, we hope it will aim to shoulder the heavy responsibility of awakening the masses and giving them strength.''
In : Smart & Logic