OLD AGE

 

          OLD  AGE 

For some people old age may be the golden period of  life provided they  don’t have to face the following problems.

Physical disabilities, financial constraints, loneliness, inability to move out, lack of activities, detachment from friends and relatives, mental depression, fear of any type including that of expiring, disloyalty of those who were deeply expected to be most  helpful in old age.

In various towns and cities, old age homes have come up where most  of the problems of senior citizens are taken care of but they are not charitable and those who join them have to pay prescribed charges. They are therefore out of the reach of those unfortunate elders who are penniless and have no source of income.

Both physically and mentally, youth is better than old age. It is a period of getting some source of income , enjoying the care, love and affection hip of kith and kin and living a life of laughing, drinking and being merry.  

In every society, there are people who don’t want to grow old and become victims of old age discomforts. But they are not to be admired. God expects human beings to live not only physically and materially but also reflectively and spiritually. Those who neglect their souls and love only the  pleasures of their bodies remain distant from God which is a sin. The are supposed to do every activity in the name of God and with His support.  Ultimately, they are , like all of us,  perishable bodies and immortal souls.

Given below is the first stanza of the poem Rabi Ben Ezra, a dramatic monologue written by the English poet and playwright Robert Browning (1812-1889).

The hero of the poem was a real historical figure of the 12^th century known primarily for his philosophy of inclusivity ----body and soul, youth and age, death and life, pain and pleasure, and he asserted that true serenity for humans lies in accepting dualities.

Grow old along with me !

The best is yet to be,

The last of life, for which the first was made:

Our times are in His hand

Who saith “A whole I planned,

Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid.

 

Finally, this quote: “Old age is not a calamity or disease; it is survivorship, strength, triumph over challenges, disappointments, illnesses and trials.”---American activist Maggie Kuhn (1905-1995).

 

G.R.Kanwal

5^th January 2025