Stay Intellectually Young

17 Aug. 2020

"It is by a constant inner growth that one can find a constant newness and unfailing interest in life. There is no other satisfying way." 

~ Sri Aurobindo

I found this line on 17 Aug. 2020 while checking assignments of my Class X-C students.  

One notebook. One quotation. And it stopped me.

People may ask: Why do we need to be intellectually young?

It is because age can wrinkle the skin, but only routine can wrinkle the mind.

An intellectually young person doesn’t see the world through borrowed glasses. They see it through a new lens every morning. They are not burdened by “what will people say” or “this is how it’s always been done.”

They have the courage to speak their perspective, even if they are misunderstood.  

I did that when I introduced the term "pessiomoptimist" and questioned the very popular idea of blind optimism. People call it risky. I call it real. Because safe paths may feel comfortable, but they never lead to fresh ground.

Intellectually young people don’t choose easy.  

They choose the hardest, the toughest, but still the new. They keep growing from inside, so life keeps feeling new from outside.

That’s what Sri Aurobindo meant. Constant inner growth is equal to constant newness.  

Without it, we stop learning. We stop questioning. We stop living and just start repeating.

So today, check yourself:  

When was the last time you disagreed with a popular opinion?  

When was the last time you chose the tough path because it felt fresh?

Stay curious. Stay uncomfortable. Stay young -- not in years, but IN MIND.