In the martial arts world, there is this idea that we are born innocent and pure, but without knowledge. As we grow and gain knowledge, we fall away from our original innocence. The job of the seeker is to transmute knowledge into wisdom, and to reapproach a state of innocence that has metabolized new knowledge back into itself.

So an old master is like an old child, but with wisdom to share.

I like this version of aging personally.