Today while I was out commuting from one place to another, I encountered several elderly persons.
While I was in the train to Dhoby Ghaut MRT from HarbourFront, an Indian man in his late 60s or early 70s boarded the train at Outram Station. There were two empty seats opposite where I was seated. When the man was walking towards one of the seats, a Chinese man in front of him quickly sat down and reserved the other seat for his wife who was behind the Indian man. The Chinese man in his early 50s refused to budge though the Indian man tried to sit down. He had no choice but to look for another seat which he could not find one. I gave up mine for him. The Chinese man, instead of feeling remorseful, kept staring at the Indian man as if he has done a great sin by wanting to sit next to him.
When I was at Tanglin Shopping Centre, I saw a Chinese lady in her late 70s or early 80s with her husband and maid. The lady apparently just had her tooth extracted as she had a gauze in her mouth. She also had a walking stick. Initially she was on a wheelchair. As her husband needed to flag for a taxi and the maid was busy carrying the wheelchair down the stairs, I decided to help the lady. Slowly she walked down the flight of steps. I helped the trio to load the wheelchair into the trunk of the taxi. They boarded the cab, waved towards my direction and thanked me.
Then in another incident while I was walking along the pedestrian tunnel from Isetan Scotts to Tangs, another lady in her 60s tried to walk up a flight of steps. Her husband needed help to carry the wheelchair up the stairs as he could not do it himself. A young man helped him with the carrying while I helped the lady with the walking. Her husband waited at the top of the steps for his wife. After I ensured that they were okay, I went on my way. I noticed they had a big bag with lots of tissue packets in it. I guess they were on their way to sell them to passer-bys to earn some income for themselves.
The above three encounters with the Indian man and two ladies made me wonder whether it is a scary thing to be old. The Indian man was treated like nothing; the lady with her tooth extracted groaned in every step she took; and the other lady was smiling though she had difficulty climbing up the stairs but the thought of her having to work at such an old age and with her disability saddened me.
I really do not know whether growing old is a scary experience; whether being old makes one a treasure or a junk. But one thing I know for sure is that God still cherish and love this group of people.
I pray that the younger generation (me included) will be the ones to show them love and care and that we will be the ones who will make this group of precious beings know that they are treasures rather than junks in the eyes of many around them.
I am not asking all of us to show pity on them but to be more sensitive. There are many things we can learn from and about them. Just spare some time to understand the elderlies and you will see the beauty in them.
A reminder - one day the young ones will grow old too and I am sure they do not want to be treated the way they are treating the older generation now.
I know what I have shared are not conclusive. They were just thoughts running in my mind. For those who do not know me, I have a soft spot for old people and my heart always goes out to them. :)
"He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy."
Proverbs 19:21
"Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old."
Proverbs 23:22
While I was in the train to Dhoby Ghaut MRT from HarbourFront, an Indian man in his late 60s or early 70s boarded the train at Outram Station. There were two empty seats opposite where I was seated. When the man was walking towards one of the seats, a Chinese man in front of him quickly sat down and reserved the other seat for his wife who was behind the Indian man. The Chinese man in his early 50s refused to budge though the Indian man tried to sit down. He had no choice but to look for another seat which he could not find one. I gave up mine for him. The Chinese man, instead of feeling remorseful, kept staring at the Indian man as if he has done a great sin by wanting to sit next to him.
When I was at Tanglin Shopping Centre, I saw a Chinese lady in her late 70s or early 80s with her husband and maid. The lady apparently just had her tooth extracted as she had a gauze in her mouth. She also had a walking stick. Initially she was on a wheelchair. As her husband needed to flag for a taxi and the maid was busy carrying the wheelchair down the stairs, I decided to help the lady. Slowly she walked down the flight of steps. I helped the trio to load the wheelchair into the trunk of the taxi. They boarded the cab, waved towards my direction and thanked me.
Then in another incident while I was walking along the pedestrian tunnel from Isetan Scotts to Tangs, another lady in her 60s tried to walk up a flight of steps. Her husband needed help to carry the wheelchair up the stairs as he could not do it himself. A young man helped him with the carrying while I helped the lady with the walking. Her husband waited at the top of the steps for his wife. After I ensured that they were okay, I went on my way. I noticed they had a big bag with lots of tissue packets in it. I guess they were on their way to sell them to passer-bys to earn some income for themselves.
The above three encounters with the Indian man and two ladies made me wonder whether it is a scary thing to be old. The Indian man was treated like nothing; the lady with her tooth extracted groaned in every step she took; and the other lady was smiling though she had difficulty climbing up the stairs but the thought of her having to work at such an old age and with her disability saddened me.
I really do not know whether growing old is a scary experience; whether being old makes one a treasure or a junk. But one thing I know for sure is that God still cherish and love this group of people.
I pray that the younger generation (me included) will be the ones to show them love and care and that we will be the ones who will make this group of precious beings know that they are treasures rather than junks in the eyes of many around them.
I am not asking all of us to show pity on them but to be more sensitive. There are many things we can learn from and about them. Just spare some time to understand the elderlies and you will see the beauty in them.
A reminder - one day the young ones will grow old too and I am sure they do not want to be treated the way they are treating the older generation now.
I know what I have shared are not conclusive. They were just thoughts running in my mind. For those who do not know me, I have a soft spot for old people and my heart always goes out to them. :)
"He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy."
Proverbs 19:21
"Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old."
Proverbs 23:22
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