Old Age, Death, and the Perenniality of Life

I Take Advantage of Deafness, for It Spares Me Much Nonsense: The Perenniality of Life as a Fearless Answer to Old Age and Death

Interview with Roberto Assagioli
Conducted by Solange de Marignac, January 1970
Assagioli Archives, Florence
Original title: Vecchiaia e Morte
Translated from Italian by Jan Kuniholm and Francesco Viglienghi
Translation from French revised by Roberto Assagioli

Editorial Note
The original wording has not been altered. This text is a transcript of an interview with Roberto Assagioli conducted by Solange de Marignac in 1970. Roberto Assagioli is the subject of the interview and not the author of a written article. The abstract and contextual subtitle in this online edition have been added by the editor, Kenneth Sørensen, to support readability, navigation, and archival consistency.

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Abstract

In this interview, Roberto Assagioli addresses old age and death with Solange de Marignac. He describes physical limitation as no obstacle to inner growth, affirms his conviction in the perenniality of life rather than mere survival, and outlines the ‘psychosynthesis of the ages’, a practice of keeping alive within oneself the simplicity of childhood, the fervour of youth, and the wisdom of maturity.

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Interview granted by Dr. Roberto Assagioli to Ms. Solange de Marignac in January 1970. Translation from French to Italian was revised and corrected by Dr. Assagioli.

S. de M. – Many people fear that old age will bring them physical limitations and that this will adversely affect their moral and intellectual capacities. May I ask you, who have been severely affected in your health, how do you view this problem?

RA – Moral and intellectual capacities are not necessarily affected by physical limitations, even severe ones. And this is true at any age. Numerous examples testify to this: I will mention only Charles Darwin, who could work only one or two hours a day; William James, who had precarious health all his life; and above all I will recall the luminous example of Adele Kahn who, while confined to her bed by a disease of the spinal column, carried out a beneficial missionary work for numerous sick people by her words and her writings.

As for me, the considerable physical limitations due to age do not seem to affect my abilities, as I will say shortly. On the contrary, I take advantage of some of these limitations, such as deafness, which prevents me — it is true — from listening to the music I love. But it spares me from listening to the music I do not love and — above all — to a lot of … [1] nonsense!

S. de M. – We often hear this observation: “I am too old to change”. You, who deeply believe in evolution — what is your opinion on this point? Do you personally feel that you can continue to perfect yourself? And that you still need to modify or develop certain aspects of your thinking?

RA – I sincerely declare that it is possible for me to continue to perfect myself, and I apply myself no less actively, and perhaps even more so than before.

S. de M. – If you don’t mind me asking, can I ask you how you think about death, and yours in particular?

RA – I neither desire nor fear the death of my body, since I am profoundly convinced not only of survival, but above all of the perenniality of life.

S. de M. – What would you have to say to someone who asked you how to age well?”

RA – In order to age well, one should do what I have called the “psychosynthesis of the ages”; that is, to some extent keeping present and alive in us what is best and most valid in each age:

The simplicity, the openness to the world, the sense of admiration of the child.

The fervor of the adolescent.

The impetus and dynamism of the young person.

The balance and maturity of the adult.

The manifold fruits of the experiences — and the gift of wisdom that comes with them — of old age.

In this way, the elderly person has the privilege of being able to become again, from time to time, a child with the children, and a youth with the young; and to communicate with benevolent understanding with people of all ages. Thus, while gradually withdrawing from his active participation in external life, the elderly person can become a solid point of support and a center of beneficial radiation around him.

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[1] Elisions are in the original transcription. — Tr.