Faith and Spirituality
Many of us explore thoughts of spirituality and faith later in life. Here we explore these themes and look at how different faiths approach aging.
Faith and Spirituality After Sixty: Looking inward
For many of us, the years leading up to sixty have been consumed with doing. In all that busyness, it’s not unusual for deeper questions about purpose, meaning, or faith to be put on hold. There simply hasn’t been time. But as we step into this next stage of life, something often shifts. Space opens up, whether through retirement, a change in routine, or simply the wisdom that comes from lived experience. And in that space, questions of spirituality often begin to surface again.
In many parts of the world, growing older can feel like a quiet slide into invisibility. But that isn’t how all societies see it. Around the globe, ageing is treated not just as a biological process, but as a spiritual and cultural journey, one that carries meaning, dignity, and sometimes even sacred status.
For many of us, the idea of spirituality has long been tied to religion, to churches or temples, to formal prayers or rituals, to belief systems passed down through generations. And for those who grew up with faith but no longer practise it, or for those who have never felt particularly drawn to organised religion, the word ‘spiritual’ can feel either distant or irrelevant. And yet, the desire for stillness, for meaning, for connection with something beyond the busyness of daily life, hasn’t gone anywhere. If anything, it has grown stronger.
For many of us, as we grow older, the appeal of nature seems to deepen. It may not be something we can easily explain. But time spent in the woods, by the sea, or under a vast sky has a way of softening the edges of our thoughts. Whether we are walking alone, watching birds flit between branches, swimming in cold water, or simply sitting on a bench in a park, there is often a quiet sense of something greater, something beyond words, and yet unmistakably real.
Wisdom and Grace: How Religions and Cultures View Ageing
In many parts of the world, growing older can feel like a quiet slide into invisibility. But that isn’t how all societies see it. Around the globe, ageing is treated not just as a biological process, but as a spiritual and cultural journey, one that carries meaning, dignity, and sometimes even sacred status.
Everyday Spiritual Practices
For many of us, the idea of spirituality has long been tied to religion, to churches or temples, to formal prayers or rituals, to belief systems passed down through generations. And for those who grew up with faith but no longer practise it, or for those who have never felt particularly drawn to organised religion, the word ‘spiritual’ can feel either distant or irrelevant. And yet, the desire for stillness, for meaning, for connection with something beyond the busyness of daily life, hasn’t gone anywhere. If anything, it has grown stronger.
Nature and the Sacred
For many of us, as we grow older, the appeal of nature seems to deepen. It may not be something we can easily explain. But time spent in the woods, by the sea, or under a vast sky has a way of softening the edges of our thoughts. Whether we are walking alone, watching birds flit between branches, swimming in cold water, or simply sitting on a bench in a park, there is often a quiet sense of something greater, something beyond words, and yet unmistakably real.
