As was customary in Goa at the time, both my grandmothers married young. They were mothers by the time they were seventeen, and grandmothers in their forties. I remember these women in their prime; young, energetic, vibrant and vital forces in the communities they lived in. As age crept into their lives, they wilted, receding into the background and finally becoming part of the "voltaire" they eventually retired to.
One of the beliefs that we hold onto is that we respect and revere our old, while the youth-obsessed West embarks on an eternal search for the Fountain of Youth. There are several dynamics that have changed with respect to aging in the West. For one thing, the shelf-life of youth itself has been extended. Men and women in their thirties and forties are considered "young". The high divorce rate has forced many people, to start their life anew at forty, rather than think of themselves as being in a secure and complacent place. Getting married later in life, has also made it possible for people to enjoy a relatively carefree and extended adolescence well into their twenties and thirties. The other change in the equation has been financial independence of the elderly. Careful retirement planning has enabled this section of society to lead independent lives in their seventies and eighties; traveling, taking up voluntary jobs and being an important part of the social and political dialogue. Nor can one diminish the importance of Assisted Living Communities, which have extended the period where one can live in relative freedom, not being a burden on anyone and still being a productive member of society. It is important that our old remain vital and productive members of society for they have much to enrich us with. Unfortunately, poverty that comes with retirement and physical ailments that come with aging, render this section of society powerless and dependent on the goodwill of their children. Very often they are disenfranchised from drawing room conversations and rarely bothered with unless a photo opportunity presents itself with the grandchildren. With lifespans constantly lengthening, the mindset with which we greet old-age must change as well. selma ____________________________________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Music Unlimited Access over 1 million songs. http://music.yahoo.com/unlimited _______________________________________________ Goanet mailing list [email protected] http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org
