Elders Are The Biggest Asset For A Family

From fiction stories of kings and queen or Daadi Maa ke nuskhe, they play a very important role in our life. In the 21st Century when both the parents are working, we fill most of our childhood with our grandparents. As long as we are with our grandparents, there is a kind of satisfaction to our parents that my child is on the right path. But if we are on our own, like we tend to change our behaviors and habits, there is a sort of insecurities for the parents. All the ethical values are inculcated in us by our grandparents. So in short our grandpa and grandma are the first sources of values. With time passing by, we often are distanced from our grandparents. We try to ignore them or avoid them for some of some other reasons. And this is a kind of turning point for them. They are then considered as "senior citizen" or " oldies". It has been observed that the elderly feel increasingly neglected and are often cast away as a burden.

Senior citizens have the right attitude, take things in their stride, plan well their post-retirement life, and keep their body and mind in reasonable good trim. They largely have a positive approach. They lead a relatively satisfied life. Some are fortunate to live with their children or within their reach in the same city/town. The longer the distance, the greater their feeling of insecurity and loneliness. Thus the elders' lives are situation-dependent. This is not the case every time.
Today we have a generation of people who after having lived in a joint family system have taken the initiative to break out and start a nuclear family. The generation that broke out of the old joint family system did so when individualistic thinking began to gain power in society. As it happens with most changes in society, initially the people from the old system did not take this change very well. However, gradually when nuclear families became the order of the day, the old generation slowly began to accept the realities and became comfortable with it.
Senior citizens are an asset, not a burden. Senior citizens have an important role to play in maintaining peace, tranquillity, and in spreading the message of brotherhood. Their experiences in life can be a source of inspiration to different sections of the society, particularly to the students and the youth in general.
Older persons should not be seen as a liability to or a burden on a country's economy, but should rather be treated as an "important asset" who can contribute to society, said Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) chairman Tan Sri Hasmy Agam.

By: Anvi Tyagi

School: Delhi World Public School

Class: 9th