Absolutely. In fact, meditation becomes increasingly essential as one grows older. Everyone is in need of it—everyone is starved for it. But most have forgotten the language of meditation. They sense that something is missing but cannot name it. They may have achieved worldly success—wealth, relationships, recognition—but by the time they reach middle age, often around forty-two, a quiet discontent begins to surface. Something feels incomplete.
This stage of life mirrors what happens at fourteen. At fourteen, the body matures and a longing arises—a need for connection, love, and intimacy. It’s a physical calling. At forty-two, another kind of maturity sets in: psychological and existential. The longing now is not physical, but spiritual. Just as one sought a lover in adolescence, now one unconsciously seeks the soul, the inner self.
Meditation is that inner love affair.
In Western societies, particularly under traditions that emphasize prayer over meditation, this inner longing often goes unrecognized. When it surfaces, people misinterpret it. They think something is wrong with their marriage, their career, or their possessions. So they change partners, buy bigger houses, chase new thrills—but the emptiness remains.
At forty-two, what is truly needed is not a new house or lover, but a new relationship with oneself. That’s where meditation begins.
Meditation is as natural a human need as love or sex. It has its own season. And just as ignoring the call of love in youth leads to frustration, ignoring the call for meditation in midlife leads to confusion and suffering.
As we grow older, the shadow of death becomes more visible. We begin to feel our own impermanence. Fear arises—not just of death, but of meaninglessness. But for one who meditates, death loses its sting. Meditation opens a doorway to something deeper than the body and mind. It reveals your true nature: unborn, undying, eternal.
If fear is arising in you—fear of death, of aging, of sickness—it may mean that meditation has remained on the surface, something fashionable or occasional. Now is the time to enter it sincerely and deeply. Meditation is the only space that can free you from all fear.
Its ultimate revelation is simple and liberating: live this moment fully—intensely, joyfully. There is nothing to fear, not even death. Trust life as trees do, as birds do. You are not separate from existence; you are part of its great rhythm. Surrender to it. Let it carry you.
Existence has always taken care of you. Meditation simply helps you remember that.