The Wisdom of Ages
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I regret that I do not have more time to seek out the wisdom of those around me who have the benefit of having lived many years. I lived in Florida where we are surrounded by the aged. However, my life generally feels too busy to stop and listen.
Last night I was at the library with my daughter. I lost track of her and finally found her having a grand old time with an older man in the DVD section. They were laughing and trading stories and making movie recommendations for one another. When I walked over, he introduced himself and I was gladly invited into the conversation. Mr. Stein is 82, it turns out, and as we stood chatting I heartily appreciated his stories. As we talked about today’s economic crisis, he relayed his own memories of being a child during the Great Depression. He remembered the men on his street who hung themselves after losing jobs, he remembered the people who took jobs digging ditches, only to keel over dead from heat and exhaustion. He remembered the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) and people putting in vegetable gardens. He learned a way of life that lasted all his years, and that he passed to his own children.
We talked also about life up North, day trips to enjoy the Civil War Battlefields, the museums in Washington, DC and cool fall weather.
My daughter has a particular affinity for the elderly. A friend of mine says that it’s a gift. I hope she will glean more wisdom from her interactions with the aged than I have so far.
Too many people take advantage of the elderly when in fact they should listen to them instead. In many other countries, the older you are, the more respected you are. It seems that in America, as soon as you are considered old, you can just be ignored.