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How Culture Shapes Our Experience Of Aging
- Ram Dass argues Western culture's zeal for independence alienates elders from family, community, and nature, creating an 'aging problem'.
- He contrasts this with India and other cultures where elders are revered and integrated as repositories of wisdom.
Practice Insight Meditation Early
- Practice insight (Vipassana) meditation early to internalize impermanence so bodily changes later are less shocking.
- Ram Dass recommends 10-day Vipassana retreats to experience 'nothing stays the same' directly.
Ram Dass Realizes Turning Sixty
- Ram Dass describes first noticing turning 60 when he asked for a senior ticket and felt the same trepidation he felt at 18 asking for a beer.
- He experimented with milking being 60, throwing birthday parties, and trying youthful activities like Gold's Gym and boogie boarding to cope with aging.