Stages of life in different texts: Ericson:
The 8 stages of life Infancy. Toddlerhood. Preschool years. Early school years. Adolescence. Young adulthood. Middle adulthood. Late adulthood. In my book The Human Odyssey: Navigating the Twelve Stages of Life I’ve written that each stage of life has its own unique “gift” to contribute to the world. We need to value each one of these gifts if we are to truly support the deepest needs of human life. Here are what I call the twelve gifts of the human life cycle: Prebirth: Potential – The child who has not yet been born could become anything – a Michelangelo, a Shakespeare, a Martin Luther King – and thus holds for all of humanity the principle of what we all may yet become in our lives. Birth: Hope – When a child is born, it instills in its parents and other caregivers a sense of optimism; a sense that this new life may bring something new and special into the world. Hence, the newborn represents the sense of hope that we all nourish inside of ourselves to make the world a better place. Infancy (Ages 0-3): Vitality – The infant is a vibrant and seemingly unlimited source of energy. Babies thus represent the inner dynamo of humanity, ever fueling the fires of the human life cycle with new channels of psychic power. Early Childhood (Ages 3-6): Playfulness – When young children play, they recreate the world anew. They take what is and combine it with the what is possible to fashion events that have never been seen before in the history of the world. As such, they embody the principle of innovation and transformation that underlies every single creative act that has occurred in the course of civilization. Middle Childhood (Ages 6-8): Imagination – In middle childhoood, the sense of an inner subjective self develops for the first time, and this self is alive with images taken in from the outer world, and brought up from the depths of the unconscious. This imagination serves as a source of creative inspiration in later life for artists, writers, scientists, and anyone else who finds their days and nights enriched for having nurtured a deep inner life. Late Childhood (Ages 9-11): Ingenuity – Older children have acquired a wide range of social and technical skills that enable them to come up with marvelous strategies and inventive solutions for dealing with the increasing pressures that society places on them. This principle of ingenuity lives on in that part of ourselves that ever seeks new ways to solve practical problems and cope with everyday responsibilities. Adolescence (Ages 12-20): Passion – The biological event of puberty unleashes a powerful set of changes in the adolescent body that reflect themselves in a teenager’s sexual, emotional, cultural, and/or spiritual passion. Adolescence passion thus represents a significant touchstone for anyone who is seeking to reconnect with their deepest inner zeal for life. Early Adulthood (Ages 20-35): Enterprise – It takes enterprise for young adults to accomplish their many responsibilities, including finding a home and mate, establishing a family or circle of friends, and/or getting a good job. This principle of enterprise thus serves us at any stage of life when we need to go out into the world and make our mark. Midlife (Ages 35-50): Contemplation – After many years in young adulthood of following society’s scripts for creating a life, people in midlife often take a break from worldly responsibilities to reflect upon the deeper meaning of their lives, the better to forge ahead with new understanding. This element of contemplation represents an important resource that we can all draw upon to deepen and enrich our lives at any age. Mature Adulthood (Ages 50-80): Benevolence – Those in mature adulthood have raised families, established themselves in their work life, and become contributors to the betterment of society through volunteerism, mentorships, and other forms of philanthropy. All of humanity benefits from their benevolence. Moreover, we all can learn from their example to give more of ourselves to others. Late Adulthood (Age 80+): Wisdom – Those with long lives have acquired a rich repository of experiences that they can use to help guide others. Elders thus represent the source of wisdom that exists in each of us, helping us to avoid the mistakes of the past while reaping the benefits of life’s lessons. Death & Dying: Life – Those in our lives who are dying, or who have died, teach us about the value of living. They remind us not to take our lives for granted, but to live each moment of life to its fullest, and to remember that our own small lives form of a part of a greater whole. Hindu philosophy traditionally observes four stages of life. These stages are known as ashramas. The idea is to provide structure and guidance for daily life, though most Hindus today only follow the first three stages. Sometimes you will see specific ages put forth corresponding with each stage (the first being under age eighteen or twenty, for example), however in practice, especially in contemporary times, there is considerable variation of the age associated with each stage. Brahmacharya is the first stage of life. It is the student stage of life, preparing for success in later stages of life. Individuals should also gain religious training, in order to lay the foundation for spiritual practice. Traditionally, education started somewhere between 5 and 8 years of age, continuing to age 14 to 20. Scriptures specifically mention education for both boys and girls. In the modern era this is the period up through college, vocational training, etc., prior to establishing a family. Brahmacharya also refers to one of the yama (core ethical principles of Hinduism). Here the term refers to a mode of behavior: traditionally understood to mean celibacy, but sometimes more liberally interpreted to mean self-restraint and moderation (and in later stages of life, faithfulness in romantic relationships). Regardless of interpretation, this meaning of brahmacharya is a value idealized for this beginning stage of life. The second stage is called Grihastha. Know as the “householder” stage, it follows what most people do naturally after leaving school: Maintaining a home, having a family. Though some people choose to forgo having children and/or remain single, for one reason or another, most Hindus choose to practice their spirituality while raising families. Marriage is given a high priority in Hindu culture, and there is much in Hindu scriptures detailing how to make marriage as successful as possible. Individuals are encouraged to produce and distribute wealth (fulfilling the goal of artha) and experience pleasure (kama), while acting ethically (dharma). In essence, though the exact details of how this is done may be different, individuals try to be a supportive family member and productive member of society. This period extends through the most external productive period of our lives, up until any children have completed their education and we’re ready to transition into the subsequent stages. Vanaprashta is the third stage. It begins after individuals fulfill their obligations to their families. In ancient times, once reaching this stage people would start detaching themselves from family life and the pursuit of material ends by moving to the forest time to devote more of their time to spiritual practice, living among other seekers of solace, knowledge, peace, and freedom. Most people have stopped retiring to the forest, instead choosing to spend more time giving back to their communities, as they deepen their spiritual practice. Hindus may do this by volunteering, reading scriptures and going on pilgrimage, and, for some, spending time in ashrams. The goal is to devote oneself to spiritual practice with a commitment to seva (selfless service) and in pursuit of moksha (liberation). The fourth stage is Sannyasa, renunciation. There are two traditional entry points into this stage of life. Those few Hindus who from an early age have a calling or want to live an entire life immersed in scriptural study and a monastic lifestyle under the direction of a guru, exclusively pursuing the goal of moksha, enter into this stage at a young age. Other Hindus, who have lived a more traditional life enter into a period of renunciation following stages two and three. In both cases, in their own way, having fulfilled all prior obligations, a person is free to devote themselves entirely to spiritual growth. A sannyasin (women renunciates are called sannyasini) lives a very simple life, subsisting on a minimum of material possessions and devoting themselves to nonviolence. The goal is to attain liberation attain liberation from the cycle of birth and rebirth.” தமிழில் அப்பரின் தேவாரம்: பாலனாய்க் கழிந்த நாளும் பனிமலர்க் கோதைமார்தம் மேலனாய்க் கழிந்தநாளும் மெலிவோடு மூப்புவந்து கோலனாய்க் கழிந்த நாளும் குறிக்கோள் இலாது கெட்டேன் பாலனாய் இருந்த பொழுதும், மங்கையர் மேல் காதல் கொண்டு Tamil has rich diction. It has words for various stages of growth for male and female.Here are the words for male: பாலன் 1-7 வயது Balan 1 to 7 years (Milk ) மீளி 8-10 வயது Meeli 8 to 10 மறவோன் 11-14 வயது Maravon திறவோன் 15 வயது Thiravon 15 காளை 16 வயது Kaalai 16 (Bull) விடலை 17 -30 வயது Vidalai முதுமகன், 30 வயதுக்கு மேல் Muthumagan Above 30 பெண்ணின் ஏழு வாழ்க்கைப் பருவங்கள்: பேதை: 5-7 வயது பெதும்பை: 8-11 வயது மங்கை: 12-13 வயது மடந்தை: 14-1 9 வயது அரிவை: 20-25 வயது தெரிவை:26-31 வயது பேரிளம்பெண்: 32-40 வயது போதைவய தேழாம் பெதும்பைபதி னொன்று மங்கை மாதே பதின்மூன்றா கும்மடந்தை - யோதுபதி னாறரிவை யாமிருபத் தைந்துமுப்பத் தொன்தெரிவை பேரிளம்பெண் ணாற்பதெனப் பேசு (மஹாபரத சூடாமணி) बालस्तावत्क्रीडासक्तः तरुणस्तावत्तरुणीसक्तः । वृद्धस्तावच्चिन्तासक्तः परमे ब्रह्मणि कोऽपि न सक्तः ॥ ७॥ bālastāvatkrīḍāsaktaḥ taruṇastāvattaruṇīsaktaḥ | vṛddhastāvaccintāsaktaḥ pare brahmaṇi ko'pi na saktaḥ || 7 Bhaja govindam When a boy, one is attached to sport; when a youth, one is attached to as young woman; when old. one is attached to anxiety; to the supreme Brahman, no one, alas, is attached! KR IRS 24 12 23 ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Rangarajan T.N.C. <[email protected]> Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2023 at 07:33 Subject: stages of life To: https://dariusforoux.com/stages-of-life/?r -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CAL5XZoospacuHXK4%3DaCCC8yV%2Bp3St6V%2BVfaObNg_5cjWKgC58w%40mail.gmail.com.
