March 21st, 2026

Thoughts On Aging and Living & 

The Second Half of Life 

Etty Hillesum below 

"No one can keep us from our second half of life except ourselves... It can be experienced as falling upward into a broader j7 and deeper world." — Richard Rohr

Anthony Hopkins once said: “I am fully aware of my mortality, but at 87 years old, I still wake up every morning with the desire to misbehave. Age is not a barrier when you find passion in what you do. The real secret lies in keeping your curiosity alive, continuing to learn, and not letting the fear of time stop you from enjoying life. Every day is a new opportunity to create, to laugh, and to show that it is never too late to move forward with enthusiasm and joy."

“When the principle of resonance, that is, inner confirmation as opposed to external authority, is accepted as the surest guide to the conduct of a life responsive to the soul, then we are forced to become psychological. We experience metanoia, a transformation of consciousness–the recognition that we are in fact spiritual beings who are cast into a material form in a material age.”

James Hollis

To become a person does not necessarily mean to be well adjusted, well adapted, approved of by others. It means to become who you are. We are meant to become more eccentric, more peculiar, more odd. We are not meant just to fit in. We are here to be different. We are here to be the individual.

James Hollis

Etty Hillesum 

Well, I am in God's hands. My body with all its aches and pains as well. If I should ever feel utterly crushed and bewildered, I will surely remember in some tiny corner of my mind that I shall surely be able to get up again, otherwise I should be lost.

ובכן, אני נמצאת בידיו של אלוהים. וכך גם גופי עם כל מכאוביו ומחושיו. אם אי פעם אחוש מרוסקת לגמרי ומבולבלת, יהיה עלי להיזכר בפינה זעירה כלשהי של תודעתי שיש בכוחי לקום שוב, אחרת אהיה אבודה.

حسناً، أنا في يدي الله. وكذلك جسمي مع جميع آلامه وتعبه. إذا كان يجب أن أشعر بالسحق والحيرة تماما، فأنا سأتذكر حتما في زاوية صغيرة في عقلي بأنني سأستطيع النهوض مرة أخرى، وإلا سأضيع.