A case of suck them dry

THE EDITOR: For some time now, I have been taking a critical look at the disrespectful manner with which young people treat or speak about most senior citizens among us. Even the middle-aged persons are guilty of this evil. It is not uncommon to hear them use the most obscene words in their presence as if to say the aged is equivalent to nothing. In other respects, some of those who ply for hire show open hostility to the aged who are a bit infirm and cannot hop, skip and jump across the road or embark or disembark from their vehicle. Oblivious of or unconcerned about the feelings of other passengers, they “damn” the aged. Will they be “forever young?” One does not have to be an Einstein or a member of the famed Scotland Yard or a Logician to draw a valid conclusion about the level of negligence or indifference or ungratefulness present somewhere, when the condition of premises of most of the aged crosses the eye. Where are their affluent children or relatives? In some countries, times were when the aged were carried to the remote mountain side and left to die, nameless and graveless.

Is it any wonder today that many die so quickly after being taken to the hospital? What precisely is involved here? One very wise gentleman was heard to say, “Whenever my relatives visit me, I know they come to borrow money which they never repay; never to lend a helping hand.” A case of suck them dry!! Another posted a big sign in his veranda, “Bank robbed, no more money.” It would appear as though the young and not so young only need the aged if they could milk or continue to milk the last drop of their blood. To respect, honour and return thanks is distinctly not in their DNA. Why this haste to annoy, to frustrate, to rob, or to remove the aged from God’s earth? The Master allots one hundred and twenty years (120) to mankind. Genesis 6:3 makes good reading and Proverbs advises, “Wisdom hath build her house.”

Can we, in the age of information, neglect to harness the collective wisdom of the aged? We do so at our peril. It is strongly advisable for those who are so blessed to have their aged alive hurry to sit at their feet, if possible, and learn. To let them go saddened to the grave is the gravest act of ungratefulness let alone wastage, the young and their kind can perpetrate upon the senior citizens upon whose foundation we are still building to this day. It is fitting for politicians to remember that they still have a vote!!! In hindsight, it may well turn out that a separate Ministry for the aged (55 and over) may be the most productive ministry in TT, if placed in wise hands. Think-tanks, consultants, advisors, guides, etc, etc. Think it through!! However, the older a person becomes, the need for adequate funding is more critical. I therefore propose the following scale of Old Age Pension payable now which ought to be reviewed upwards, in accordance with the expected natural gas bonanza, just around the corner.

$1,500 monthly, 59 years to 69 years
$2,000 monthly, 70 years to 79 years
$3,500 monthly, 80 years and above
Dare anyone despise the aged! Let the heathens rage!!

ELLENOR  TAYLOR
Plymouth, Tobago