I was listening to a discussion on the Dave Ryan Show this morning about a lot of people's apparent discomfort watching Dick Clark on TV last year at New Year's following a stroke and it got me to thinkin'.
Why do we treat the elderly and/or disabled the way we do in this country? It doesn't seem to be this way elsewhere around the world. Instead of being uncomfortable, we should be supportive & root for them. Maybe that's what keeping him/most of them alive- the audacity to keep going, to keep trying, even though the world seems to be against them. A world that is always encouraging them to just give up, to quit doing what they love to do and abandon what makes them happy. Would that not leave you frustrated and dissatisfied?
I say, Who are we? It's really not our place to judge. They are human just like we are, have goals and aspirations just like we do, have feelings, AND if we're lucky enough to get that far in life, the elderly most definitely represent our future. Having said that, we'd better hope our collective youth are not so hostile toward us when/IF we finally reach old age. As a society, we should be consciously teaching them to value their elders right now. From what I've seen, a strong example has been one of the best teachers- next to experience, of course.
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