The great secret that all old people share is that you really haven't changed in seventy or eighty years. Your body changes, but you don't change at all. And that, of course, causes great confusion.
Another thing I think should be avoided is extremely intense ideology because it cabbages up one's mind...when you're young it's easy to drift into royalties and when you announce that you're a loyal member...and you're gradually ruining your mind.