Beautiful Gray Hair
The glory of youths is their strength, but the beauty of the aged is their gray hair. Proverbs 20:29
How we worship the strength and agility of our youth. A goodly portion of our newspapers, TV news broadcasts, and TV channels are devoted to sports, including amateur and professional sports. The World Series in baseball, the Super Bowl in football, the NCAA playoffs in basketball, the Tour de France in biking, and the Masters Tournament in golf all command serious attention by young and old. However, it is the Olympic Games held every 4 years that are the ultimate in sports entertainment. All of these activities are for the young who are both strong and agile.
All of these activities must be put aside by the time the athlete reaches middle age. The body no longer has the strength to compete in sports. Since life generally goes on beyond middle age by an amount almost equal to the age of being young, we must prepare for the time when we are deemed to be old, at least in body. The mind stays sharp for a much longer period of time than does the body. However, the mind must be used and must remain active for this to occur.
And so we come to the second part of our proverb, namely ...the beauty of the aged is their gray hair. What made the hair turn gray? I understand it is the loss of pigment in the hair follicles. What made the hair lose its pigment? I suppose it is mainly old age. However, there is a common wisdom that concerns and worries take their toll on hair color. The hair, like the mind, is tested again and again. Hence, it becomes a crown of beauty for those who have achieved the wisdom that comes from living long years and paying attention to the world around them.
My dad had a beautiful head of white hair. He would often say to me, "Jay, you will never get gray hair." I would dutifully reply, "Why is that, Dad?" He always responded, "Because you won't have any hair left." I began losing my hair at a young age as did my son. My mother had nine brothers, all of whom were bald as young men. Thus, we can say that baldness is pretty much an inherited characteristic. It does not signify wisdom. Contrary to what my dad predicted, I do have some hair left at age 75. It is white, though much less abundant, than was my Dad's hair when he died at age 81. I wear that ring of white hair proudly. I hope it means that I have achieved some wisdom. I certainly did fret and worry over the years. Here's to those who have a crown of beauty and do not hide it. Here's to those who have only a partial crown of beauty and do not hide it. God bless us everyone.
- The Old Professor
Copyright © Jay D Weaver - July 25, 2008
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