Old age and the fragility touche everyone

Old people are perceived as unsightly and burdensome by many societies and a lot of elderlies are condemned --not for doing anything wrong or harming anyone, but simply reaching their “unproductive” stage.


Our societies burry the issues of old age altogether, instead of preparing our young generation by educating them on this very eminent stage. Most children don't get 't the opportunity to be with their grandparents and older relatives. They don't understand what growing old means. For example, I didn't know how to look after elderlies when my visited about 10 years ago. The old saying "you've to be old to understand an elderly" is so correct!


I had heard an interesting story about an elderly when I was very young that I want to share to demonstrate how we cheat ourselves:


Once there lived a young couple who had a very young son and very old man--their father and father-in-law-– living with them. From the account of this tale, it is understood that the old man had reached at his “unfruitful” age, and the couple decided to get rid of him. They said, "this old man is useless and draining our resources". So, they devised a plan.


Next day the husband brought a basket, large enough to fit his old man, and loaded his father in it. After watching his father, the very young son of his asked, “What are you doing, father?” The father replied, “I’m loading your grandpa to dump him down from a tall mountain, so that he can’t return home”.


When the man finished loading his father and was on his way to the mountain, his very young son came running after him. He shouted, “Wait, wait, father, I’ve to tell you something…” The father was in a hurry, but his love for his son compelled him to stop. Impatiently the father asked, “What is it son?” “What is so important that you must distract me from carrying on my urgent work?” His very young son breathlessly replied, “I just want to remind you to bring the basket home after you dump grandpa down the mountain”. His father paused a while and asked, “Why my son; why do you care about this useless basket?” His very young son replied, “Because I would need it to dump you down the mountain, too, when you reach to grandpa’s age”.