Aging is an inevitable process. I surely wouldn't want to grow

The actor William Holden once declared: “Aging is an inevitable process. I surely wouldn’t want to grow younger. The older you become, the more you know; your bank account of knowledge is much richer.” In these words shines a wisdom that many resist, yet all must one day face. Aging is not a curse, nor an enemy to be feared; it is a river we all must cross, a path no mortal can escape. The body may weaken, the hair may whiten, but the spirit, if it embraces the journey, gathers treasures unseen by youthful eyes. Holden’s words remind us that the march of time is not theft, but a gift of knowledge placed into our hands.

Too often do men and women long for youth, crying out for the beauty of their early days, lamenting the strength that once was theirs. Yet Holden turns his gaze not backward but forward, saying, “I would not grow younger.” For he knew that each year brought with it a deposit into the great bank account of wisdom, each trial, each joy, each sorrow adding to a wealth that no gold could match. Youth gives vigor, but age gives depth. The child may sprint, but the elder sees the whole horizon.

Look upon the life of Cicero, the Roman orator, who in his writings “On Old Age” declared that while the strength of the body declines, the vigor of the mind can grow ever stronger. He wrote that an elder who has cultivated wisdom can wield influence greater than any soldier’s sword. So it was that Cicero, long past the prime of youth, still moved nations with his words, still steered the ship of state with the weight of his judgment. Age had not diminished him—it had crowned him.

Consider also the story of Nelson Mandela. After long years of imprisonment, he emerged not as a bitter man broken by age, but as a towering figure of patience, wisdom, and forgiveness. The years had taken from him his freedom of movement, yet had enriched his soul with a knowledge of humanity, of justice, and of resilience. His “bank account of knowledge” was vast, earned not in classrooms but in the crucible of suffering, and it enabled him to lead a nation from darkness into light.

Thus, the teaching is clear: aging is inevitable, but its fruits depend on how we live. To resist it with bitterness is to waste its gifts; to embrace it with humility is to harvest its riches. The young may sparkle with speed, but the old, if they have walked wisely, shine with a glow of understanding that no fleeting youth can counterfeit. The wrinkles of the face may be the etchings of pain, but they are also the engravings of wisdom.

What lesson then should we carry? That you must live each day not merely for pleasure, but for learning. Store up knowledge as a farmer gathers grain, so that when the winter of old age comes, you may feast on a rich harvest. Do not despise your years, but welcome them as teachers. The passing of time is not the draining of life but the filling of your soul’s vessel with wisdom.

Practical actions are these: seek always to learn, even in small things; speak with elders and drink deeply of their stories; when you fail, do not despair, but let failure add to your treasury of wisdom. And when you succeed, let it not breed pride, but humility, knowing it is but another coin in your bank of knowledge. In this way, you will not fear the passage of time, for each year will make you richer in spirit.

So let Holden’s words ring in your heart: “I surely wouldn’t want to grow younger.” To grow younger is to lose what you have gained; to grow older is to add to the treasure of your soul. Walk boldly, then, into the years that await you, not as a victim of age, but as a king or queen crowned by the wealth of wisdom time alone can bestow.