The maintenance of all the three aspects of health, which is mentioned in previous article, namely 'physical', 'emotional' and 'cognitive' health, may sound a daunting task, but really, it can be done with the help of Confucius' wisdom in his Six Arts, according to Dr David Dai Lok-kwan, Consultant Geriatrician of the Department of Medicine & Therapeutics at Prince of Wales Hospital.

Emotional Health

"In essence, the ancient Chinese Six Arts is an all-embracing concept, and the nurturing of 'rites', 'music' and 'archery' is integral to the maintenance of emotional health. 'Rites' is the social intelligence built from interpersonal relationship – the communication with co-workers to gain self-confidence and social recognition before retirement, and the socialisation with likeminded individuals, neighbours and friends in retirement years. While work is one of the things from which we derive our self-worth, depending on the lengths you are willing to go, your post-retirement social network can be even bigger than before, and your confidence may grow through various kinds of social engagement, hence contributing to your emotional health. 'Music', which translates into singing or playing musical instruments, is a hobby hard to resist – try singing or playing an instrument to make music your best solution for emotional health. In addition, 'archery', which generally means an activity engaged with undivided concentration, such as calligraphy, playing chess, painting and horticulture, is beneficial to emotional health."

Cognitive and Physical Health

"To quote Confucius, 'Never too tired to learn, never too tired to teach'. Retirement shouldn't be a time when we stop learning. We are only humans because we continue to learn and understand ourselves in life. Reading is obviously the best way to learn while enhancing our cognitive health, and such is said as much in 'calligraphy'," said Dr Dai. "'Mathematics', on the other hand, is not strictly about calculation and arithmetic but more about numeracy and the logical analysis of things – it can be anything from poker, chess to puzzles, and social affairs discussion, social counselling, medical or financial advice, for instance. Retirement can be spent on sharing your own experiences, like how I would share and exchange ideas with my colleagues, or teach the public about health knowledge when I'm not having medical consultations."

"Moderate amount of exercises can help improve physical health and naturally, it is one of the virtues of Six Arts. 'Charioteering' is physical exercise, which can be divided into aerobic exercise for brain and cardiovascular health; balance exercise for joint flexibility; and elder gym for muscular strength maintenance, partly to reduce the risk of inflammation and train up muscle strength. Ideally, we should reserve an hour for physical exercises every day with an intensity of medium and strong," Said Dr Dai.

Real Examples from Dr Dai

As the knowledgeable advocate of a lifestyle with Six Arts, Dr Dai walks the talk too. In a stage of life where he needs to build up reserve for his future physical needs, Dr Dai spends an hour exercising every day, with 30 minutes on the treadmill and the rest of the half-hour on cross training and weight training. "At 57, I have by now spent a long period of time in this industry, which also means work is getting busier while opening up more opportunities for me. I am involved in mediation and community work through which I have been able to meet many new people and expand my psychological state of mind. Another thing I've been doing to maintain my emotional health is planning on the extension of my working life without being in the way of others."

And equally dedicated is Dr Dai to the maintenance of cognitive health. "I keep learning new things and applying them onto new scopes of work. Apart from treating my patients at the hospital, I am also responsible for conflict resolution and management in cases of medical disputes, as well as geriatric and lifelong care application. I still paint a lot. I write newsletters and articles in Chinese and English, and I read about anything from psychology, law to medical health – realms of knowledge that I can apply to my work right now."

Even small efforts can go a long way in the maintenance of your cognitive, emotional and physical health. Start living the Six Arts today!


Special Thanks:
Dr David Dai Lok-kwan, Consultant Geriatrician of Department of Medicine & Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital