just as children, old people are the most beautiful people on planet earth

when i visited (feb, 2007) St. Joseph's Home in Kolkata, India with my friend Priya, it had lessons and thoughts waiting for me. it is an old age home run by 'little sisters of the poor' and very well maintained. we had the humble opportunity to serve the evening food and related works.

1.
its universal and i also thought that the most beautiful looking human faces belongs to the children. they are the most beautiful thing ever on this planet earth, perhaps because of their uncorrupted inner purity, their innocence and their carrying of heavenly light. but going to the old age home changed my perception.

looking at the beautiful people (who are very old, some close to 80) there it came to me that not only the young children, but also the very old people do retain or regain that innocence once more and that is why they look so wonderfully beautiful. i had the blessings to look at few of the faces in the old home and you can tell the inner light coming in full circle just as it is in the very early stage of human life-cycle. now i can tell, people in their final days, again can transform to be the most beautiful people.

i also noticed that the people with strong faith are better human mirror to reflect that innocence and inner light at their old age.

2.
the old age home is run by catholic nuns. so the catholic elements were there including chapel, prayers before meal. but what i felt missing was any kind of intellectual engagement. apart from taking meal, most of the time they just sit around, sometime sad, sometime with blank face. seeing, it came to me that at their matured age, after seeing so many things, they are the most prepared person to take-in higher things, lofty spiritual ideas and thoughts rather than just dry religious prayers. at their age, they are the best to think about the great thoughts on life, death and the realm of spirituality.

perhaps one good program could be to read them out smaller, selected texts from spiritual sources that might help them connect with God in a different dimension than just religious text. it could a little poem of Rumi or text by St. John of the Cross or St. Teresa of Avila. This will add great soup to the soul. it doesn't have to be long or too deep. just small text followed by easy and customized background or philosophy.

i am sure after spending whole life in this world, most of them have the maturity at that stage to take-in such material at its best and something to grow richer in mind and thoughts. if that helps a little for them to realize their life, to be full and to have a more meaningful perspective of why we all are here - its worth the effort.