Original article: published in the Autumn/Winter 2026 Odyssey print addition pages 60-63
In the previous article I focused on The Dharma of Work. I said that Dharma can mean many things depending on the context it is used in. Thinking of the world as a massive mathematical equation, based on laws and precise rules, the core of that equation is Dharma. We focused on three types: Universal, Situational and Personal. They inform each other and build on the concept of Appropriate Response.
Universal Dharma is based on the golden rule of non-injury. Meaning to treat every being with the same care and respect you would wish for yourself — never cause harm and seek to leave others better, not worse, for having met you.
The application of this universal rule, moment to moment, is Situational Dharma, life being ever-changing and complex. How to navigate the changes is the essence of Situational Dharma. I said Personal Dharma is your personal design, constituted in your abilities, talents and tendencies. Your unique set and mix that drives you to fulfil your function in this world.
As in all Dharma discussions, the focus is on the interplay between the situation and the person’s response/reaction to it, as Universal dharma is the constant advising the two. In the discussion of Life Periods, the periods are the situation and how you respond in each period is based on your personal dharma.
The Dharma of Life Periods have many nuances and intricacies, to many to explore in one article, the Life period breakdowns focus mainly on age of the body, as it linked to developmental phases. The aim of this article is not to focus on childhood development phases in detail but a big picture overview of the Situational Dharma of each period.
Blissful Ignorant Child: Includes Prenatal Development (Conception to Birth), Infancy and Toddlerhood (Birth to 2 years), Early Childhood (2 to 6 years) and Middle Childhood (6 to 11 years).
This may seem like a lot of development phases to bring together in one period, but from the point of dharma, this period is not so much a dharma focus for the child as it is for the parent. The next article will focus on the Dharma of Roles.
For the parent, the aim is for children to be safe and stimulated, so that the child may development their personal dharma with as much support as possible. It is where the foundation for the child is set to understand Dharma, the rules of life. This is why structure and boundaries are so important, as they lay the groundwork for how we engage later in life.
Japanese early school focuses heavily on character, social skills, and emotional development (respect, empathy, discipline, responsibility) for the first three years, delaying formal academic testing to build a holistic foundation before intense academics begin, using activities like classroom cleaning and group problem-solving to teach core values and cooperation. A beautiful example of Dharma focused schooling system.
For the child, they must focus on learning to develop their brains and being active to develop their bodies. Books such as Journey to Dharmaland* is a great way to develop the child’s idea about the world and their place in it.
Terrible Teens: Adolescence (11 to 18 years) and Emerging Adulthood (18 to 20+)
Hormonal changes trigger notable shifts in a child’s mindset. Where they were blissfully part of the parents’ energy, protected and safe (hopefully), the shift and changes in their bodies now bring a deeper sense of separation consciousness. The activation of the sex hormones brings a different focus to their minds, and they may feel unable to control the changes that just show up, causing havoc to their emotions and how they behave.
This period makes social interacting the core, and they learn about what is acceptable socially and not. Unfortunately, rarely is this appropriateness based in Dharma and ensuring non-injury. They can be brutal in their interaction which accounts for the massive problem of bullying in the world today.
Making this period one of the most important periods to be guided from a Dharmic understanding. Even though this age group take themselves to be able to navigate their life, due to the lack of discernment (only develop from 21-23) the onus still falls to the parents to ensure guidance on the appropriate engagement with situations.
Of course, each child will be more aware of the nature by now, but it will be a distorted view as they are highly influenced by their peers. Teens are meant to test boundaries and parents are meant to hold the line of appropriateness.
Exploring Twenties: Emerging Adulthood (18 to 25/29) and Early Adulthood (25/30)
The focus is still education but with the development of discernment, now you are an adult, albeit a young one. This period is characterised by thinking you know everything. It is meant to be this way, as it is the decade to make mistakes and find you way, as your personal dharma needs to be discovered in this period.
Socialising is the centre focus of life as relationships skills needs develop and Tweenies (I write with a chuckle, as we are then very much still teenagers, only focusing on yourself) are meant to explore the world as they need to delve into their personal dharma.
A real danger here is to be to future focused and miss the opportunity to carefree explore your personal dharma, which leads to feeling like missing out later in life and then the midlife crises, with inappropriate behaviour as the person tries to recapture this period. Carefree does not exclude a working life, just a focus of exploring and still finding your way.
Tricky Thirties: Early Adulthood (30 to 40years)
An interesting thing happens between 28-33, there is a settling of the personal dharma. Your own exploration has brought you a place where it is clear where do you want and need to focus to make a meaningful contribution to life. Your work life is starting to have rhythm and life seems more stable and directed.
By know the understanding that you are not alone on the planet should be clear, universal Dharma. Situational dharma on how to navigate the intrinsics of daily life will really test your resolve now. In a healthy person of this age, there is focus on learning more about their person and how to best navigate those intricacies.
This is also the period of life where the problem from childhood starts to really shine through. For instance, by now parentified children are almost burned out. As they needed to be the parent when they had to develop and explore, they developed pathological responsibility taking, in trying to keep their world safe (as they never knew that) they take on responsibility for everything and everyone.
The pressures of career, raising children and adulting starts taking its toll. It is a good idea to explore coaching or treatment (BodyTalk, therapy etc.) to check in on your personal dharma, especially if you are struggling to manage situational dharma.
Free Forties: Middle Adulthood (40-45 to 60-65 years)
The Dharma of the forties depends heavily on how you attended to dharma application in the previous decades. If you focused on education and build your confidence by applying yourself as a young person; used your thirties to explore personal dharma to establish how you are meant to contribute to life in a meaningful way, then this period is a joyous celebration.
Forties are about mastery, mastering of your contribution to life. There is shift in needing or wanting approval from the outside. You are firmly established in your nature and are clear where you need to focus for how long. Anything or anyone that wants to hijack your attention, is dealt with in a clear and direct manner.
If you have offered your personal dharma up on the alter of security and focused on the materially side of life only, this can be a scary period. For you no longer get the satisfaction out of these things and the question such as “what is the meaning of life?” and “what is your purpose here?”, robs you of enjoying peace.
When we naturally follow with the dharma of each life period, we are effortlessly taken to inquiry in ourselves and the field of life around us. It requires that we stay true to our personal dharma and use the situations presented to us to learn and develop. In the Forties if that did not take place, there is a natural serious push to align with dharma.
It is natural to start asking spiritual questions about the meaning of life and especially our needed contribution. This period makes it clear we are here to contribute more than what we extract, reinforcing Universal Dharma.
Fifties Swag: Middle Adulthood (40-45 to 60-65 years)
The contributing focus increases and with it a reality check of body health. Anywhere we neglected to care for the body now comes to call for attention. Because the realisation is that life is precious, there is a ruthless cutting of non-essential activities and people in your life, to ensure you have adequate time and energy for that which really matters, which is driven by your personal dharma, your purpose/function in life’s field.
Sixties Shine: Middle to Late Adulthood (60-65+ years)
A wind down of work activities brings a focus on enjoying life and contributing time to pursuits that which is close to your heart. The dharma of this period requires more of a focus on your health to ensure that your later years will be mobile and fulfilling.
It is a period to offer time to younger generations, from looking after grandchildren, to providing a safe environment for children and young people, to sharing wisdom. Like all periods of the adult, the focus you kept during the preceding periods will heavily determine if you are able to joyfully contribute to the field around you.
A danger of the Sixties and even Fifties is; if you did not learn that people must ask for help or advise, you will struggle to make meaningful connections as the dharma of life requires permission, and unsolicited advice is the killer of all relationships.
Illuminating Seventies: Late Adulthood (65+ years)
Life has a different pace as part of this life period. Now the situation requires you to manage your energy and remain connected to life. If you have cultivated your personal dharma this period will bring great satisfaction, even if the frequency of your contribution might be less to accommodate your energy management.
Content Fragile Eighties and Nineties
Every action and every step require concentration and focus. Content are you when you have cultivated the mindfulness habit and can use that now for care of the body, even when it is fit it has a component of fragileness, which in no way means weak, simply the dharma of this period.
The simple joys of life, a cup of tea, a sunny afternoon and a conversation with a loved one, is the focus.
In Summary: Each period has its own requirement, dharma, if we attend to it timeously, life takes on a beautiful rhythm. If you missed a period, make sure you incorporate it in the period you are in, thus healing the neglected development. The dharma of life requires us to look at all these nuances, always of course, depending on your nature, your personal dharma.
*Journey to Dharmaland https://a.co/d/9mSHdp5
