Fountain of Youth

Man from different cultures and eras has tried to find a solution to the ageing process. Many have tried to find the so called "Fountain of Youth". Youth is what everyone wishes for. American author Mark Twain used to say, life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of 80 and gradually approach 18.   William Shakespear called old age "hideous winter" and Greek poet Homer "loathsome".  

That is why a mythological story was created, in order to give hope to people wanting to remain young for ever. It is believed that even Alexander the Great, who conquered most of the known world, may have been searching for a river that healed the devastations of old age. The most famous paradigm, nonetheless, is Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon who lived during the 16th century and who allegedly thought he would find the "Fountain of Youth" in Florida. This myth is appealing for everyone, just like the Holy Grail. The fountain is located as a tourist attraction in St. Augustine, the oldest city in the USA. Although now many believe that this fact is false and that Ponce did not arrive in St. Augustine, it is still a tourist attraction.   

What would happen if we actually found the Fountain of Youth? Is it so important that we remain young? It is fundamental we learn to accept and live our life with its ups and downs and learn to gain knowledge from every period of our lives. Through this experience we endure life in its totality. Also if we are to understand life from a platonic and Christian point of view then we can understand that the true life and truth is not found here, in this world, but in the next or as Plato stated in the World of Ideas.