Rosaria Carpinelli Consulenze Editoriali - Socrates, Agata and the Future

Human life, Hinduism teaches, is divided into four periods: the first is for learning, guided by a master; the second is for self-realisation; the third is for teaching and passing on knowledge; the last, marked by a progressive disinterest in material things, is to prepare for leave-taking. Many today do not admit this. Despite their age, they continue to chase, push, accumulate. They chase charges, confirmations, social gratifications. They do not know how to slow down, listen, give back. With the help of a granddaughter who teaches daily disorder (and puts balloons on the bust of Socrates), Beppe Severgnini reflects on the passing of time and the complicated years we are going through. ‘The things we will be remembered for,’ he writes, ‘are not the offices we held or the successes we achieved. It is the generosity, the loyalty, the imagination, the irony. The ability to ask the right questions.’ Don't become an old bore: that is the imperative. The author invites you to ‘wear your age elegantly’. This requires understanding the power of kindness, learning from failures, training patience, hanging out with intelligent people and beautiful places, which will bring fresh ideas. It is necessary to accept that there is a time for everything, and the generation of children and grandchildren needs space and encouragement. Not unbearable old people.

Publication date: 28.01.2025
Publisher: Rizzoli
Country: Italy