CALLING IN THE CANONS

Following my last post a friend forwarded this to me from J. John - thanks Nick!

Valuing life’s veterans The elderly are often overlooked and pushed to the margins of society. Although many are physically active, psychologically alert and enjoy fulfilled, happy lives, many more struggle with loneliness, ill health and neglect. Not long ago they were honoured and respected. Why has this devaluation of the old happened and what should we do about it? • In the past, older men would have advised on farming and home maintenance and older women on child-rearing, cooking and managing families. Grandparents were a rich store of wisdom. Now, the hard-earned life skills of the elderly seem to have only curiosity value. • The elderly can be demanding. They expect a conversation to last longer than a few quick sentences and we have to slow down to their pace. • The elderly are an uncomfortable reminder of what we will become. Our culture is obsessed with youth, appearance and fitness and one day we will have lost these. The elderly remind us of our own mortality. How we treat the weak, sick and aged is a test of what we really are. The Bible talks about respecting family and looking after those at the margins of society. Life’s veterans are to be treated with dignity and respect for other reasons, too: • They are the people who built the world we live in. They may have taught or cared for us; many suffered in wartime to maintain the freedoms and prosperity of our society. To ignore them is to be guilty of ingratitude. • We should be kind to the old because they need our care. We should look after them and listen to them, not because we get anything out of it, but because those who have received grace should also display grace. • The elderly are often wiser concerning human relationships than the young. Their friendships were not in cyberspace, but in reality. The elderly deserve our: • Attention. We should find situations in which we can get involved with elderly people. • Honour. The elderly should be listened to. In a throwaway society, we need to reassure the elderly that they are not disposable. • Time. We should be ready to sit down with the elderly, listen to them and talk to them. • Consideration. The elderly are often baffled and frustrated about modern living. Although we must avoid being patronising, we need to ask how we can help. • Assistance. Some elderly people are fiercely independent but some need transport, most will welcome a visit and many will sleep easier knowing that a friend is just a phone call away. We can be advocates for them, accompanying them to the garage, standing behind them as they negotiate costs with the plumber or helping them phone the council. Working with the elderly can be challenging and may require patience, tact and persistence. Nevertheless, we need to care for them. Remember Jesus’ great command to ‘do to others what you would have them do to you ’. Agagé, J.John (Canon) www.philotrust.com