A common adage spoken by an unknown sage is this: “I want to leave this world the same way I came into it… naked, screaming, and covered in blood.” (craigbuchek.com)
Wait.
That’s not right.
It goes something like “you leave the world the same way you came into it.” Which brings to mind the question, beloved reader, where do you want to be in seventy years from now? Everyone likes to be cared for, particularly in their later years. I’m sure all of you would say the same. Similarly, one must ask if our grandparents, great-grandparents, or elderly old neighbors feel the same way. What do you think?
Though not necessarily naked, screaming, and covered in blood, the later years of any given person’s life should be filled with love and happiness, just as it is upon birth and childhood.
Yet here the debate still remains as to why the elderly that are still a major part of this generation’s lives are being treated as if they were a bother. All beings come into the world dependent, and remain so their entire lives. Just because someone is quantified by a greater age than another does not mean that they don’t deserve the same respect and courtesy as all other human beings.
When your best friend says something to annoy you, do you disown them? No, you don’t. The same rules apply to your grandparents or elders.
According to the Guinness World Records, the oldest living person alive is Susannah Mushatt Jones, a resident of Brooklyn, New York. She has a warm family, and one of her nieces published a biography in which she was the subject,; it was titled ‘Susannah – Our Incredible 114-Year-Old Aunt’. Perhaps if all families (and people in general) respected their elders, the world would be less harsh.
So this conclusion must be faced: rather than ignore the people that created a path for you in the world, embrace them. Assist them. In order to do so, donate some of your time. It doesn’t have to be much. Perhaps a half-hour of your time monthly could work.
The main point is, as all teachers will tell you, quality over quantity. By all means, spend as much time as possible lending a helping hand to our elders, but do it in a meaningful way. Listen to music, read, or just talk; they all help in the long run. Perhaps one day, when you have grown old, someone will return the favor.