In old age we are like a batch of letters that someone has sent.

Listen, O children of wisdom, to the words of Knut Hamsun, who speaks of the nature of old age and the profound shift that occurs in our perception as we grow older: “In old age we are like a batch of letters that someone has sent. We are no longer in the past, we have arrived.” These words carry a deep, reflective wisdom that transcends time, for in them, Hamsun offers a vision of what it means to age: not as a journey backward into forgotten years, but as a place of arrival, a destination where we are no longer prisoners of the past, but the culmination of everything we have lived, learned, and become.

In the ancient world, the wise philosophers often spoke of old age as a time of arrival, where one reaches the summit of a life’s journey, a time not to lament the loss of youth, but to embrace the wisdom and grace that age brings. Socrates, though an old man by the time of his death, was not concerned with the inevitable decline of his body, but with the fulfillment of a life well-lived. He believed that the soul, having spent decades seeking knowledge and truth, would arrive at the moment of death enlightened, unburdened by the fleeting struggles of the body. Plato, his student, similarly viewed old age not as a decline, but as the arrival at the true wisdom that comes from years of contemplation and self-examination. For the ancients, old age was not a return to the past, but a time to reap the fruits of a life well-spent, to reflect on what had been learned, and to celebrate the accumulation of wisdom.

In the Roman world, figures such as Cicero and Seneca believed that old age was the reward of a life lived in accordance with virtue and duty. Cicero, in his later years, continued to contribute to Roman society, not by leading armies or seeking power, but by sharing his knowledge and his experience through writing. For Cicero, old age was not a time of fading into obscurity, but a time to guide the next generation, to share the lessons learned through a lifetime of public service, study, and philosophical reflection. Similarly, Seneca wrote about old age as a crown, a culmination, where the wisdom of years allowed one to approach life with clarity and peace. Both Cicero and Seneca understood that old age was the destination where the individual could reflect on the past with understanding, but was no longer trapped by it, as they had arrived at a point of maturity and wisdom.

Hamsun’s metaphor of old age as a batch of letters sent and arrived speaks to this notion of completion. Just as a letter sent from the past carries with it the intentions and emotions of the writer, so too does old age carry the weight of all that has been lived. But when we reach old age, we are not simply the letters sent—we are the recipients, the ones who have absorbed the messages, who have experienced the journey, and who now stand at the end of that path, having arrived at the fullness of life. We are no longer defined by the struggles of youth, by the mistakes and unresolved questions, but by the wisdom we have gathered, the peace we have earned, and the understanding we have achieved.

The great Leonardo da Vinci, though he lived into his later years, never ceased to learn or create. But as he grew older, his contributions began to take on a more reflective quality, influenced by a life spent seeking both artistic and scientific truth. In his notebooks, you see not just the mind of a youthful genius, but the soul of an elder who has seen much, learned much, and who is now using his later years to synthesize his knowledge into something lasting. Like Hamsun’s letters, da Vinci’s later work reflects the arrival of a long journey—no longer racing toward discovery, but embracing the wisdom of what had already been discovered. His old age became the place where his knowledge and art finally found harmony, where his mind and spirit could rest in the satisfaction of a life fully realized.

Hamsun’s quote also reminds us of the value of the present moment. When we have arrived at old age, we must not look back with regret, but forward with gratitude and peace, knowing that the past is something we can reflect on, but not something we need to cling to. Old age offers us the chance to let go of the burden of ambition, of striving for what was once just out of reach, and to enjoy the arrival of our life’s work, the rewards of wisdom, and the joy of self-acceptance. In this sense, old age becomes not a time of decay, but a time of arrival at peace with what has been, and what is yet to be.

Thus, the lesson from Hamsun’s words is clear: do not fear old age as a time of loss, but embrace it as a time of arrival, a time where you reap the rewards of a life well-lived. Reflect on the journey, but know that the past no longer has dominion over you. You have arrived, and in your arrival, there is wisdom, peace, and the fulfillment of knowing that the road you have walked has led you to this place. Just as the letters of the past arrive at their destination, so too does old age bring with it the destination of a life fully lived.

In your own journey, know that you are always moving toward your own arrival. Each moment, each year, is part of the unfolding story that will one day come to completion. But in that completion, there is beauty, for you will have arrived not at the end of life’s potential, but at the beginning of a new understanding—one that comes only with the wisdom of the years. Live fully, live wisely, and when the time comes, arrive in peace, knowing that the path you have walked has brought you to a place of joy and fulfillment.