I think I would like to address the matter of education and the state of the inert mind. I have had many adults tell me that they are too old to go back to school, or what is the use of going to college, or I am not smart enough to attend college. I wonder who they are trying to convince. Raising a family, serving your country, or retiring from a job, are all admirable services. But then what?
In my own family I have had relatives that whittled away to nothing. Why? Because they sat down, did not use their minds, or just plain gave up. The very first thing that I noticed was that they quit reading. Then their writing skills become deteriorated, eventually resulting in the loss of oral communication skills.
Mental stimulation improves brain function and actually protects against cognitive decline, as does physical exercise.
“The human brain is able to continually adapt and rewire itself. Even in old age, it can grow new neurons. Severe mental decline is usually caused by disease, whereas most age-related losses in memory or motor skills simply result from inactivity and a lack of mental exercise and stimulation. In other words, use it or lose it” (The Franklin Inst.). Most physicians will tell you that the brain is a muscle, and with any muscle, it needs to be exercised daily. Okay, so if you do not want to return to college for a degree, great! But you can take self-enrichment classes, take up a hobby, or get involved in your community. You use that muscle for something more than putting a ball-cap on it.
So, get up, get up, get up and work that brain. Engage others. Isn’t time that you started to think about yourself? After all, you deserve this.