Everyone knows at least one person who was considered an outcast, an antisocial – that one person (or perhaps child) who always stood out from the rest. Someone who would somehow always find themselves isolated. Maybe you were that person who did not share the interests and thought patterns of those around you and in your age group.
There is a very unique and special type of person who finds themselves in this situation, usually from a very young age. Not because they harbor reclusive tendencies or any social anxiety disorder, but simply because they are an old soul. They walk a separate and solitary life which is different yet very peaceful and fulfilling.
Here is a list of 8 tell-tale signs that could help you identify one.
Since the people of your age group tend to have interests and pursuits that are of no interest to you, you find it difficult to make friends with and keep long-lasting relationships with them. Of course, as a result, you would rather keep your own company and do your own thing.
Because you have a good grasp on reality and life as a whole, you often think about death and how fragile life really is. This can sometimes make you seem depressing or withdrawn, but in actual fact, it means you enjoy life more. You live in the moment and appreciate it to its fullest.
Old souls love learning. They are attracted to pursuing the truth and gaining as much wisdom as they can from their life experience. For them, knowledge is power and they would much rather spend their time learning anything they can, as opposed to wasting time on superficial things like reading celebrity news or gossiping with their neighbors.
As their title suggests, old souls show levels of sensitivity and great maturity in comparison to their age. Since they constantly pursue peace, spirituality is a huge attraction to them. Spiritual teachings and disciplines that could take a lifetime to understand (such as enlightenment and taming the ego) an old soul can grasp naturally and effortlessly.
Old souls are deep thinkers. They talk less and think more – about every little thing. Not only are their heads filled with all kinds of knowledge but they also reflect more on their experiences and surroundings. Because of this, they learn so many valuable life lessons at a younger age, which of course makes them feel older.
Blindly following is not your style. You won’t mindlessly conform and comply with things, you will always question and explore at your will before committing to a cause. And if you do not agree with the majority, you are not afraid to stand out.
As a child growing up you always knew you were different from the rest. You may have been labelled as rebellious, but, in fact, you were just overly mature for your age. Your intelligence shone through by genuine understanding and questioning but adults saw this as resistance that needed to be disciplined.
Old souls have no interest in things that can break or be taken away from them. They focus on irreplaceable things that bring them lasting fulfilment and joy, not just temporary pleasure. Anything that is short-lived, it’s likely that an old soul will not care for it.
Can you relate to the above-described points? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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definitely that's me
i love how i stumbled across this enlightenment just befor i started to question my day and bring on the debates :P this was a very lively note and i appreciate the moments spent on this article reading :)
- KT
yep checked several in the list that is totally me. Thanks for sharing this :)
funny thing is i just a few hours before finding these quotes started to doubt my spirituality but the comments about being different especially as a child certainly hit home - i was the one who could decorate a home at 13 - always showed an ability in electrical matters etc from a very early age - i thought the other kids who just wanted to play football were somehow stupid - and yes i did not fit in very well with these cretins - some of which made it so obvious they hated me - for years i thought it was me but eventually i realised that scum is not always at the bottom of a barrel -
Everything on that list is me to an extreme. At first, I read the title that “Old Souls Lean Toward Spirituality”, and thought that’s not me, I’m not religious but upon reading the text beneath that headline, I understood what was intended. I am not a religious person but I spend a lot of time reflecting inward and learning about myself, questioning why I do things and how I can improve the person who I am. I also have spent countless hours researching numerous religions to understand the broad picture of workd teachings and with completely unbiased preconceptions. I live by many of the morals I’ve taken from them all but I just do not believe in god or gods or an afterlife. I have a very strong moral code nonetheless. Being unbiased and educated about many religions makes me more empathetic to others and I appreciate the gift that it gives me to understand people in general and why they do the things they do, good or bad.
In addition to that, I’m an introvert and love my alone time which I fill with learning how to do new things or reading nonfiction articles and books. I dislike social media and I think that it can be toxic to society and blind people from the truth. It also isolates some people and can make many paranoid that they are not appreciated enough. I don’t follow trends at all, I like only what I like and it’s not always the newest or best to others. Those things are not important to me. Antiques rock! I barely know any celebrities names because that’s also not important at all. People come to me for advice a lot because they know that I will think carefully before responding. When people complain about situations with other people, I always see all sides of the situation and sometimes defend people who aren’t even there or are complete strangers to me. I am incapable of being racist, sexist or showing bias towards someone for purposes they were born into. I’m generally brutally honest but I choose my words very carefully so I do try and minimize damage because I understand the pain of rejection or judgement, but I always default to the clearest truth I can get away with. My friends and family are quiet when I speak and listen because they know that it will be relevant, well thought about and being light to the topic at hand. I tend to be more optimistic than most people. I understand the negatives but I know it’s best to focus on the good that can come from things. I have a new hobby every few months and it rarely involves interacting with other people. My alone time is irreplaceable and I have only one lifetime to figure everything out that I want to. I am overly kind to people, but I disdain arrogance and ignorance so I have no problem knocking an elitist off his high horse. I have a strong sense of justice. I make sure that i have empirical evidence before ever making any claims as a certainty. I am always happy to admit when I’m wrong and when I make a mistake, I tend to thank people for correcting me. I don’t now nor have I ever had anyone be very angry with me. I have very little experience with “enemies”. I am cautious about friendships and relationships if I see no real value to it or it’s not authentic. The friendships I have are long lasting and high quality. I also use self deprecating humor in order to make others around me more comfortable because if they see that I’m not “playing perfect”, they are more likely to act like their genuine selves and not put on a superficial front. This also means that I am humble because I can make fun of myself to make others feel better about themselves. I enjoy people more when they are comfortable. I get along very well with the elderly and children. Animals warm up to me very quickly and closely. I learn new things quickly and if I cannot learn it quickly then I will put in even years of commitment to master something I want to know how to do.
I love your entry. It is very thorough and refers back to what an old soul is in every aspect. If I were to write a response to this forum...it would sound something very similar if not almost identical to your response. With a few minor things that we are not the same in. I cherish and soak up all the alone time I can get. Even if I am not doing anything at all, I’m still at ease and my brain is going. I don’t have but a couple of genuine long time friends. I like it that way. The people I meet or know find me to be funny, nice, yet slightly odd. I’m ok with that. I use my humor for the same reasons you do bc if you can’t make someone comfortable then they are not going to be themselves around you and that’s already fake. Something I don’t need. I use my manners, I have a very kind heart always trying to find ways to fix other peoples problems before my own. I’m helpful. I can be all of those things however I’m very serious about my guard. I put up a wall towards people and I don’t let them in until I know I can trust them. That’s one of the hardest things to come by these days...TRUST! I find myself to be a hard worker and I learn things very quickly. I retain information like it’s the thing to do. I’m good with numbers. I’m like the human phone address email password social security pin and anything other numbers you wanna add. I’m not good at math. But if you give me a number, I will remember it for a lifetime. I live through music. It’s how I breathe. It’s how I cry. It’s how I let my anger out. I find happiness in it. I’m enlightened by it. I’m motivated by it. And in some cases, it puts me in a silly mood. Imagine a world without music. You can’t! Music is life. Like I mentioned it’s how I breathe. The knowledge I have on music is insane and unreal. It’s an obsession for me. Without it, I couldn’t go on. One thing I forgot to mention...I live in an older generation. I don’t find myself fitting in with my age group. I never have. All of my friends are 5-15 years older than me. Including the father of my child. I don’t find it weird or uncomfortable. I find it very fitting and welcoming. Bc of that I was able to teach uncertified at a very young age at a local high school in special education. I did that for 12 years. Not to toot my own horn or anything but bc I was so young those high school students (not just special education but school wide students) became very clingy to me and looked up to me as their mentor and as sort of a hero. I was someone they could come to with their problems and help them bc I was young and I could relate. It felt very good bc even through that I kept my old soul in me and didn’t stoop to their level of immaturity. I kept it very professional. I just understood them better than other teachers. At the time I was 23. I felt like a 38 year old trapped in a 23 year olds body. But I was ok with that.
So I guess I did end up writing more than I thought. Just one more thing. I’m 33 now. Going on 34 December 24th. and I feel like I’m about 45. It’s kind of cool because I can feel older but then can remind myself that I’m still just 34 and have many more years to come. I don’t know why I’m an old soul. Maybe I had a first life and now I’m back and I know the rounds already bc I’m actually a very smart individual. Whatever it is, I’m thankful. I wouldn’t change it for the world. I carry a lot of knowledge, art, power, own sense of identity, kindness, and down to earth traits that are all vital characteristics to being a good person and a like able person to be around.
Smile, you're my copy