Senior Citizen Day: How Various Countries View and Honor their Elders
We like to say we honor our elders, but do we really?
Do they become expendable because they can no longer go to work?
What does it mean to say that someone is no longer productive or doesn’t provide results?
Is a human being’s worth to be measured only by the dollars he or she produces?
Growing old may be frowned upon in the West, but in some cultures if not treated respectfully, you may find yourself in trouble with the law
Time for a history lesson.
Elders keep the past as storytellers. They transmit a culture’s identity to the next generation. In plays and myths ranging from those of ancient Athens to Shakespeare’s nurse in England's “Romeo and Juliet,” to biblical scholars like the Prophet Samuel and King David, ancient scholars bring messages from another level up, offering sound advice (which we most times ignore) and act as guides and leaders in our society.
We think the wise both medieval and modern, from the historical Chinese philosopher Confucius to American authors Mark Twain and Maya Angelou. We turn to them not for instant advice but for long-term experience and perspective born from real life experience
A ‘National Shame’ is what health secretary Jeremy Hunt called the West’s treatment of the elderly back in 2013 (I was jus a kid but I still remember), and it’s sad to say that not much has changed since then. In Western culture old age is often presented negatively. We hear it everyday- the common stereotypes- “old folks”, “one foot underground”, the list goes on. A streak of wrinkled and grey hairs pop up and everyone goes mad, trying to find ways to dye their salt and pepper and get the latest botox surgery just to dye the hair back to a more jubilant color and stay away from anything that labels them as “old”.
Old age is often frowned upon, as our society tends to associate it with immobility and the inability to work, despite the technologically advanced age we live in today. Nevertheless, residential care homes still operate as a common destination for the elderly and society continues to celebrate the next generation. When we look at how other societies treat their elderly however, we get a very different picture and learn that age is just as much a biological matter as it is a social and cultural construct:
East Asia
In East Asia, people are bound by a Confucian principle of filial piety, a moral of respect for the elderly, fathers and ancestors; here, elderly parents become the responsibility of adult children. Deeply rooted in traditional values, children are brought up knowing that they will eventually exchange roles with their parents and care for them. Jared Diamond, UCLA professor of geography and physiology, stated ‘it is considered utterly despicable not to take care of your elderly parents.’
Photo: Kahar Erbol
China
In China, an ‘Elderly Rights Law’ was introduced to inform adult children that they ‘should never neglect or snub elderly people’ and must make arrangements to visit them ‘often’, regardless of their proximity. Although not clear, on how often is enough, the law itself shows that in China, old people are not to be messed with.
Photo: Jixiao Huang
Japan
In Japan, the 60th and 70th birthday are marked with big celebrations where children perform dances and offer gifts.
Photo: Jon Tang
Singapore
Just like China, there are laws which place the inertest of the elderly at heart: ‘In Singapore, parents can sue their adult children for an allowance; those who fail to comply can face six months in jail,’ according to the Associated Press.
Photo: Chua ZiHui
The Mediterranean
In the Mediterranean respect for elders operates as a cultural norm. ‘Old man’ is rather a term of endearment in Greece, as Ariana Huffington shares in her book, On Becoming Fearless. It is also common for extended families to live together with several generations under one roof.
Photo: Nourdine Diouane
African-Americans
Grandparents tend to live in with families and aging is celebrated. For instance, Karen H. Meyers writes in The Truth About Death and Dying, ‘African-American funerals tend to be life-affirming and to have a celebratory air intermingled with the sorrow.’
Photo: Christian Newman
India
It is an Indian tradition for youngsters to touch the feet of their elders, which is known as ‘a mark of love, and respect for them, and a request for their blessings’.
Photo: Vinod Kamaraj
It just goes to show that old age does not have to be a bad thing. In other societies the elderly are respected and admired for their wisdom, rather than put down for their physical attributes. Some laws may be quite harsh and overbearing, but if some cultures can celebrate old age, why can’t all?