Where Time Deepens Us

Hello, this is Ditto.

When we stand before a mirror and notice our wrinkles and gray hairs increasing one by one,
we often feel a subtle sense of loss.
This is because society's view—that youth is radiant and old age is a decline—
makes us feel diminished.

However, if we observe nature closely,
we realize that growing older is not a process of withering, but rather one of deeply 'ripening.'
No matter how splendid the spring cherry blossoms may be,
do they not feel somewhat light and fleeting compared to the deep, rich hues of autumn foliage
painting the mountains red?

The great German literary master Hermann Hesse
confesses in his essay On Aging:

"The season of old age is a stage of life no less beautiful and sacred than youth...
The true duty of those who have grown older is to cast a gentle light upon the world through the experience and wisdom gained over a lifetime."

If youth is the fiercely blazing midday sun,
growing older is like the evening glow that warmly embraces the world.
The deep wrinkles etched across our foreheads are not a badge of shame.
Rather, they are the rings of a tree that only those who have fiercely endured life can possess,
and a beautiful map engraved with an individual's unique history.

How much more dignified and beautiful is a smiling face,
naturally imbued with the joys and sorrows of the days lived,
than a face pulled tight in a forced attempt to defy time.

How are you facing the passage of time?
Are you struggling to fight it, or are you gracefully surrendering to its flow?

Growing older does not take things away from us;
rather, it may be a time of refinement—stripping away the nonessentials and leaving behind only the pure essence of life.

Like a fine, well-aged wine, I hope your time, too, matures into a beautiful fragrance.
I celebrate your graceful evening as you embrace the passage of time.

This was Ditto.