Flights Of Fantasy
[ M Panging Pao ]
We realise we are growing old when our hair and beard start turning grey. When the first hair turns grey, it hits many young men and women. They start plucking the greying hair one by one. With more years gone by and many hair turned grey, many men and women turn to hair colouring it to make them appear younger. And once men and women get sucked into this hair colouring web, they have to do it frequently once every month at least.
Grey hair and balding are caused by many factors. Biologically, as people age, the number of melanocytes – the cells that produce melanin -decreases. Melanin is the main factor in determining hair colour and as melanin decreases, hair/beard starts turning grey. Grey hair may have been passed on from parents genetically. Gray hair could also be caused by a few medical conditions. Many connect premature hair/beard greying to stress and tension also. While few men and women start having grey beard and hair from their early twenties, most people start greying beyond the age of 40-50 years.
Many civilisations have interpreted grey hair as a sign of ageing and wisdom. Since most men and women start greying beyond the 40s and the 50s, they are assumed to have grown wise about aspects and events that occur in life. Most grown up men and women would have made mistakes learnt lessons, gone through sufferings, suffered pain and agony, lost a near one; thus, the adage of associating wisdom with grey hair or grey beard.
Like people, institutions and nations also grow old. Some countries and civilisations are hundreds of years old, while a few are still young. Like people, institutions and societies also make mistakes and learn from these mistakes. Learning from previous mistakes, institutions and nations become more matured, experienced and wise. Like wine, societies and civilisations mature and evolve with age and adopt better literature, art, music, dances, education, culture and living standards. Societies and civilisations evolve into more ethical societies, adopting better moral values, integrity and character.
On the flip side, irrespective of the causes, grey hair indicates longevity. Greying hair/beard means that one has lived long enough to reach older age and is eligible
to be called ‘elderly’ or ‘senior citizens’ or ‘uncle’ or ‘auntie’ or ‘grandpa’ or ‘grandmom’.Therefore grey hair is associated with longer life, which in turn is associated with wisdom, and thus growing old and grey is an honour.
Like they say, ‘Wrinkles mean you laughed, grey hair means you cared, and scars mean you lived.’ Do you colour your hair or let it naturally turn grey? (The contributor is retired Group Captain, Indian Air Force)
