Being twenty and eternally high on life, old age should be but a faraway thought to me. But for some unknown reason, I find myself having a tendre for the old and infirm. It’s almost impossible for me to understand how a man will feel post 60- when all of a sudden, he is relegated to the back of the family, and becomes just another mouth to feed. I know I sound a bit melodramatic, but this situation in its essence, is a reality today- how ever much we try to turn a blind eye to it. The sheer number of old age homes and retirement centers burgeoning every day is a reflection of what the scenario is like today. How is it that today- own children forget to accord their parents even an iota of the respect and comfort they deserve in the evening of their lives!
It’s quite incomprehensible how a child can desert his parents- when for the first time in their lives probably, they look to their son/daughter for support. These, mind you, are the same two people who pandered to our every whim, helped us take our first steps, taught us the ABC of life; they- who were always there-night and day- for us, and then did the hardest- Let go…
….Let go of us; to give us enough freedom to make a mark, find our identity;Let us make our mistakes and learn- with a costant prayer on their lips. I can undoubtably state that our parents are the only two beings who will never have any selfish motives as far as their offspring is concerned. And to this shower of love and affection- you reciprocate by forgetting them as soon as you realize that they are of no more of use to you.
If this is what being modern is- I would rather be backward and
unsophisticated!
If progress means to put your parents in Home and then forget them, I quite prefer the old, rustic way of living!!
If this is our way of proclaiming to the West that we too have ‘arrived’, I wish we had never set upon the journey!!!
2 comments:
Ahh !!! A 19 yr b'lorean youthful girl talking about 'conservatism' [in taking care of parents].... :O
quite surprising but good :)
An 80 year old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45
years old highly educated son. Suddenly a crow perched on their window.
The Father asked his Son, "What is this?"
The Son replied "It is a crow".
After a few minutes, the Father asked his Son the 2nd time, "What is this?"
The Son said "Father, I have just now told you "It's a crow".
After a little while, the old Father again asked his Son the 3rd time,
What is this?"
At this time some ex-pression of irritation was felt in the Son's tone when
he said to his Father with a rebuff. "It's a crow, a crow".
A little after, the Father again asked his Son t he 4th time, "What is this?"
This time the Son shouted at his Father, "Why do you keep asking me the
same question again and again, although I have told you so many times 'IT
IS A CROW'. Are you not able to understand this?"
A little later the Father went to his room and came back with an old
tattered diary, which he had maintained since his Son was born. On opening
a page, he asked his Son to read that page. When the son read it, the
following words were written in the diary :-
"Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa, when a
crow was sitting on the window. My Son asked me 23 times what it was, and
I replied to him all 23 times that it was a Crow. I hugged him lovingly
each time h e asked me the same question again and again for 23 times. I
did not at all feel irritated I rather felt affection for my innocent child".
While the little child asked him 23 times "What is this", the Father had
felt no irritation in replying to the same question all 23 times and when
today the Father asked his Son the same question just 4 times, the Son felt
irritated and annoyed.
Every parents becomes a kid as they grow old.
So, every child has to atleast increase their tolerance (if not even love) in dealing with their old parents.
In that way, I am proud of my culture and my parents who taught me that !!!!
Hari Om !!!
i love this post. and i second it 200%.
its ridiculous to see abandoned old people. just makes you wanna mock at the generation now that has become so insensitive and self-centered...
thought provoking, powerfully written post.. *bows*
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