| Opsimath - noun. Refers to one who
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| | Interlaken in the Swiss Alps and gave a
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| begins, or continues, to study (takes up
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| | unique musical performance. Over the
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| a new pursuit) late in life.
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| | course of seven hours and forty minutes,
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| As I penetrate deeper into the darkened
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| | Sri Chinmoy performed on 171 musical
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| corridors of life after the age of fifty,
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| | instruments from around the world. Some
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| the smaller mutinies of body and mind
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| | of them, such as the Chinese erhu and
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| seem to occur with more and more
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| | lute, he had only started playing that
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| frequency. The ability to learn languages
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| | same year.
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| quickly, to remember names, places and
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| | In the realm of art, his recent
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| significant events - whole banks of
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| | accomplishments have also been
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| memory appear to have receded into
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| | staggering. While on a visit to the
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| oblivion. Then there are other equally
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| | island of Malta in December 1991, he
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| telling signs of old age - resistance to
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| | began to draw birds using simple,
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| change, lack of spontaneity,
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| | graceful outlines. He hoped that these
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| inflexibility of opinions and habits.
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| | birds would convey something of the
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| And if the waning of the intellect was
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| | freedom of the soul. As these avian
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| not enough, the body has imposed its own
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| | images poured forth from his pen in
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| set of non-negotiable and ever-narrowing
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| | increasingly greater profusion and
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| limitations. It insists on remaining
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| | variety, it became clear that they had
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| ensconced in a comfortable chair for
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| | become more than just a casual hobby. The
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| hours on end, reading, working,
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| | artist had found his signature mode of
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| conversing, eating and, inevitably,
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| | expression. His soul-bird drawings now
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| dozing.
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| | number more than 15 million.
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| I despaired of ever reversing this
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| | Sri Chinmoy complements his musical
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| downward slide. Then I began to take
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| | performances and artistic creations with
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| notice of elderly people who were doing
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| | poems, aphorisms, stories and songs.
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| unconventional and often striking things
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| | During a long distance journey on Japan's
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| - taking up parachuting, running
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| | bullet train in 2006, he composed his
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| ultra-marathons, enrolling in advanced
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| | 13,000th song in his native Bengali. In
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| courses at university. Somehow they had
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| | November 2006 his 1558th book was
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| recharged their batteries, rekindled
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| | published.
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| their enthusiasm and plunged into the
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| | His achievements in the sporting arena
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| whole learning curve once more.
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| | are no less impressive. Sidelined from
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| The legendary American sprinter Payton
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| | running by an injury, he took up serious
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| Jordan (now in his 90's) once said: "We
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| | weightlifting in 1985, at the age of 53.
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| don't retire, we just move in another
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| | He progressed rapidly to lifting
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| direction and do new exciting things;
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| | extremely heavy weights and was soon
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| face new challenges and new
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| | introducing new and innovative lifts into
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| opportunities." And that was when I
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| | his regimen.
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| realised what it is to be an opsimath and
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| | What gives this septuagenarian the unique
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| live a life of constant newness and inner
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| | capacity to renew himself at every
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| unfoldment.
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| | moment, to maintain and even augment his
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| The number of opsimaths is steadily on
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| | physical strength, to find the energy and
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| the rise, but of world class opsimaths, I
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| | enthusiasm to sing, write, draw and
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| know only one: philosopher, mystic, poet,
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| | engage in so many diverse pursuits? He is
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| artist, musician, composer and athlete
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| | both a polymath and an opsimath. Sri
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| Sri Chinmoy. Born in India on August
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| | Chinmoy attributes his inspiration to an
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| 27th, 1931, Sri Chinmoy moved to New York
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| | inner source. "Prayer and meditation are
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| in 1964. Since then, he has been an
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| | my inner secrets and my outer secrets,"
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| ever-eager searcher of new ways to
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| | he says.
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| express his far-reaching inner vision.
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| | I recently read a speech given in 2002 by
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| Now aged 75, Sri Chinmoy shows no signs
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| | Magnus Magnussen, the Chancellor of the
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| of surrendering to the advancing years.
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| | Glasgow City Chambers in which he said,
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| His perspective on old age is
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| | "Lifelong learning - opsimathy: it is
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| encapsulated in the following short
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| | something we should all aspire to."
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| couplet he recently penned:
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| | I am convinced! I can only say,
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| Old age is a new page,
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| | I long to be an opsimath
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| And not a broken cage.
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| | And banish old age from my path!
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| In 2005, at the age of 74, he visited
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