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From glowing hues of sunset to the battlefield of Operation Sindoor, the piece celebrates the power of joining elder age wisdom with youthful courage. It traces how experience mellows people, help them right from wrong, and equip them to guide younger generations. The article also reflects on the past neglect of elders, new legal protections, cultural examples like Bhishma Pitamah, and todays more independent older people. It concludes that old age is not a burden but a golden phase, provided both old and youth respect, support and learn from each other.

Beauty of the setting sun

He always admires watching the setting sun. As the large circular solar disc descends below the horizon, its colour gradually changes from tangerine to crimson and ultimately to a pinkish red. With scattered light, it makes the sky look stunningly beautiful. Often, he admires the setting sun for hours, sometimes until the sun finally vanishes, leaving a trail of various blends of red and pink hues on the azure sky.

The sun vanishes from sight, but it is not gone. It’s a cycle of rising and setting sun which happens because of the planetary movement. As the Earth rotates on its axis, its sun-facing area gets the sunlight, and the part of the Earth opposite the sunlit area remains plunged in darkness. Like a wheel’s movement, it alternates. Day is followed by night and vice versa. In the morning, the sun returns after twelve hours of darkness and looks stunning and bright. It brings hope and optimism without a hint of pessimism or negativity. A source of energy and vigour, in both rising and setting conditions, it conveys a positive message. It is comparable to the life of a human being.

Elder age brings changes

Many things come to his mind while watching natural drama and the play of colours. The spectacular celestial happenings remind us of the stages of life an organism passes through before ending its journey. He reminisces about how an energetic toddler gradually changed into a baby, from a baby to a child, a teenager, a youth, a middle-aged person, and finally to an old person. As a person grows, changes occur in the body, posture, psyche, and behaviour according to the phases of life and accumulated experiences. It mellows them down and keeps them grounded. Like the setting sun, their behaviour is, though pleasant and beautiful, not loud.

An ignorant toddler can catch smouldering coal out of sheer curiosity and the attractive red colour, but an old person knows the consequences. A baby tries to learn by experiencing things, but as they grow under the umbrella of elders, their experiences gradually widen, and they learn to differentiate between good and bad, harmful or beneficial. This teaches babies that not every glittering thing is gold and good.

As people progress in life, they learn many lessons about the possible consequences of their actions in specific situations. The most crucial skill that develops over time is the ability to distinguish and separate bad things from good. It is the prudence of a person which helps in discerning a situation, person or happenings.

The elder age woman

Like a setting sun, an aged person, shaped by hardships, brings joy to many who meet them. They remember their days of struggle, dearth of resources and money, compromises and adjustments. He would remember with respect an elder age mother-figure woman who was not related to him but used to guide him with her apt, to-the-point suggestions. She would often converse with him in her frail, subdued voice and suggest many valuable things that helped him get out of the convoluted situations. The gentlewoman used to live in his vicinity, a place which was sparsely inhabited with scanty civic amenities.

Demeaning Elder age people

Paradoxically, there used to be a tendency to demean old people who were considered unproductive and a burden on the family. With their shrinking role, they were viewed with disdain by their families. The scenario has now changed for good. With increasing independence and physical fitness, senescence is no longer a burden. Reflecting the old thought process, William Shakespeare described old age with contempt. While comparing old and youth, he ridiculed the elder age people and upheld the youth. Though it is now argued that the poem is likely by an anonymous author, it is traditionally attributed to Shakespeare. The poem runs as under:

Crabbed age and youth cannot live together:
Youth is full of pleasance, age is full of care;
Youth like summer morn, age like winter weather;
Youth like summer brave, age like winter bare.
Youth is full of sport, age’s breath is short;
Youth is nimble, age is lame;
Youth is hot and bold, age is weak and cold;
Youth is wild, and age is tame.
Age, I do abhor thee; youth, I do adore thee;
O, my love, my love is young!
Age, I do defy thee: O, sweet shepherd, hie thee,
For methinks thou stay’st too long.

Elder age people and siblings

The ill treatment was done mostly by their siblings. They would eye the savings and lump-sum corpus and properties that elders created. Soon after acquiring it, siblings would start maltreating them, subjecting them to physical, mental and emotional torture. Siblings used to shift their aged parents to old-age homes, away from the house they constructed with their hard labour.

Changing time

With changing times, conditions improved significantly. Governments passed legislation, and courts have given their verdicts. One of the important pieces of legislation is “The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007”, which safeguards the rights of parents and senior citizens, giving them a decent life.

Improved health facilities, awareness and the internal urge of aged persons to live decently have drastically changed their condition. Elder age is gradually becoming a blessing, not a curse. Aged people are enjoying their second innings with comfort, confidence and without relying on anyone. They are comparatively more independent and contented.

Old is gold

Although age can lead to physical weakness and dependency, the mind remains active and often sharper than others. Ageing brings composure. Apart from medical problems, most aged persons have maturity, and their decisions are almost flawless. Their experience makes them outstanding. They can be weak and physically unable to contribute actively, but their deep knowledge, fired by long experience, is beneficial to the younger generation. It was not out of the blue that aged persons were treated with utmost respect, and their words were treated as commandments in antediluvian Indian society,

The most notable example is “Bhishma Pitamah” (Great Grandfather) of the epic “Mahabharata”. He was the one who was treated with utmost respect by both the “Kauravas” and the “Pandavas”. Though he fought against the “Pandavas” because of the oath he took to protect and get Matsygandha (lady with the smell of fish) as his father’s wife, his affection and love for them never faded. He was a prodigal personality who was indomitable, as he was an expert in warfare and archery. He was the one who himself told the “Pandavas” how they could eliminate him and keep him away from the battle.

The experience makes a man sensitive to the impending difficulties. As an expert mariner, an experienced person can perceive a squall and take caution to minimise the damage, control it and replenish losses.

Old and young

While a young person is enthusiastic, energetic and capable of taking risks, an old man with a lot of experience is calm, composed and determined. The latter weighs the situation, considers every aspect and decides. An unhasty decision is prone to minimal risk and damage, and is long-lasting. Elder age and accumulated experience make people mellow and help them think with prudence. An aged person knows that all that glitters is not gold. (Psychology Today)

Old persons avoid unfruitful and useless confrontation, irrespective of their educational background. They avoid undue risk but are determined and steadfast. They prefer taking calculated risks. Once they make a decision, they go all out for its success. The wide spectrum of adversities, difficulties and impediments which they faced makes the old person almost foolproof. They can make a decision in any adverse situation.

Outstanding coordination

Recently, India has seen a marvellous show of wit, courage and intrepidity during “Operation Sindoor“. Experienced and seasoned members of the three services joined heads, burned midnight oil and, in collaboration with a determined and stiff political force, chalked out a plan that was successfully implemented; the enemy was annihilated. It was a show of perfect harmony between old and young minds.

The youth have power, vigour and enthusiasm. They think and act swiftly, and engage themselves wholeheartedly in the given task. The intrepid soldiers meticulously executed the plan and bravely fought the battle. They heavily fell upon the enemy and destroyed them by pinpointed attacks with deadly accuracy. 

Not retire

From a toddler to senescence, a person takes a journey. It is this period which makes them strong and resilient. Though they can be frail, armed with the wealth of experience, they can face the pressures of adverse situations. From the day a person becomes mature enough to comprehend things better and responsibly, the journey through the most difficult terrain starts. Old persons may feel tired but never retire till life give them chance to contribute.

Asset to society

In essence, aged people are mature, productive and an asset to society. They are caring and considerate. Everyone goes through this phase of life at a later point in time. Disregarding and belittling this phase is equivalent to belittling oneself. An aged brain, armed with experience and enthusiasm, zeal and vigour of youth, can work wonders. Before that, older people must also think and embrace change wholeheartedly. They need to remember that they had also been in the same phase of life and wanted few or no boundaries. They have to be considerate of youths and respect their views too. 

Further reads:

• The Power of Change: Embracing Growth and Development
• The Power of Decision-Making for Personal Growth
• The Joy of Aging: Living Life to the Fullest
• Children’s Aspirations: Shaped by Environment
• Understanding the Concept of Long Life

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