Little love in twilight of life

Rabin Prasad Kalita *

In youth we run in to difficulties,
In old age difficulties run in to us.
“Baverly sills”

There is an old saying; “we start dying the day we are born”. To care for someone who once cared for us is the highest honour. Elderly people are the truest form of wisdom. They are the storehouse of patience, tolerance and knowledge.

We get to learn many things from their august company. They are the respected members of our family, wise mentor and keepers of our age old traditions. We imbibe many life lessons through their actions with calmness and serenity gathered during their lifetime. Their teachings help us in many ways in future to face our intricate life smoothly.

We get to know the value of the family, relationship, and society etc. just for a little attention and caring for them. Their presence or a divine touch, strengthen us with courage and finds us in complete fulfillment of life.

The elderly population in India and also the problems faced by these people are increasing simultaneously. The numbers of people in old age home are constantly increasing. Proper care, physical, emotional and economic support for elderly people are degrading in our society.

Poor eyesight, hard hearing, weaker immune system, slow movements are the main characteristics of the elderly people. That is what, vulnerability of getting infected by the diseases is more prone to them. The old age is an inevitable part of human life, which is unavoidable, undesirable, and problem- ridden phase.

In this twilight years of life, one is bound to go through the pains and pleasure before making a final exit from the earthly world. In this terrible part of their redundancy and dismal life, he or she must not be felt as burden. They require a little care and physical assistance to cope up with their failing health.

The degradation of this paramount need to look after in old age has been a recent phenomenon. It may be due to the breakup of the traditional joint family system. Fast urbanisational life, industrialisation, money oriented life, inflation etc. may be the causes behind the erosion of moral and ethical values of children towards their parents.

So much of busy schedule to run one’s life might have made children to neglect their parents. There are numerous causes behind it. In this materialist society, mechanized world, everybody is in short of time. Even their own children, to whom they dedicate their life and earnings, do not find time for them.

Those beautiful hearts become dependent to others largely due to their physical infirmity. They need to restore their emotional security. They want someone to take care of their needs and share their feelings. At this crucial state of their life, why elderly people should feel as unwanted member of the family and society.

They require a repetitive medical aid and assistance at this crucial stage of life as their body parts become tired and weak for having rendered service for a substantial period of time. In this pitiable phase of their life, they are completely depended on their spouse or children. Often they face the loss of spouse either and old friends. This brings more despondency to them.

In fact, the time they pass through, would have been better during these eventide years of one’s life, when one is free from every kind of responsibilities. This situation is really unfortunate and needs to be addressed properly in front of the new generation.

After a certain age, health problems appear to be a leading issue. Physical and mental infirmity crams them a lot. They lose control over their own body or even unable to recognize their own family members. There are times when parents want to relax and also want their children to reciprocate the same the way they once shared with them. But some of the children find it hard to accept the fact.

Children are becoming increasingly intolerant of their parents’ health problems. Everyone has a tendency to overtake the old people and take them lightly or ignore them in every matter. Gradually, children begin to see their parents as burden.

There are some children who made their parents to live in an abandoned dungeon like small rooms or in an obscure corner of the house, when parents get too old to do their normal ablution at their own or unable to perform normal activities with ease. Even some over ambitious children forcefully take over income and property from those helpless parents.

Is it the outcome of those poor parents’ lifelong earnings for their children’s wellbeing? No parent wants their child to treat them like an unnecessary load on their responsibilities. Instead, there are parents who use to be treated like animals or even beaten up sometimes by their children.

In this pitiable time of their life with no money to spend and no place to go, how do we consider to be resorted to an old age home? But, it’s going on; the phenomenon of ‘grand dumping’ becomes common now especially in urban areas these days. Some of them feel themselves relaxed by dumping their old parents or grandparents in old-age homes, and turn up to see them once in a blue moon.

It’s pathetic. They are the reason for which we are in this beautiful globe, the reason we survived all the diseases is our mother’s care, the hands that made us to walk is our parents, the reason we could stand today is our parents. But when our time comes to show our little respect, to reciprocate the love, gratitude, we make a back out.

We the children must recall that the luxuries enjoyed by us were boon of our parents through their hard work. It is also to be remembered that we are too going to be the voyager of the same route one day as our parents and if our children treat us in the same fashion we won’t be happy then.