Why Don’t We Value Elders When They Are Alive Instead Of Mourning Only After Their Death?

Do we value elders and make them feel loved while they are with us? What is the use of mourning them after their death if we don’t?

I would like to recollect a  quote of Thomas Fuller here which says, “We never know the worth of water until the well is dry”. This is exactly our case as well. We don’t fully realize the significance of cherishing and appreciating the elders in our life and it becomes  too late when we finally do.

For example, when we visualize an image of a home in our mind, we picture a mother, a father and their children. Parents take care of all their kids by struggling and forfeiting their own aspirations every now and then, to finally make the children adept in handling their own life. However later in life, these children are unable to take care of their parents individually. Instead they share the responsibility among themselves, taking only partial accountability.

We are now in an era where we throw things when they broken or, we don’t put an effort to get them fixed. Same is the case with our relations with our elders. We don’t realize the value of people when they are alive. We take it for granted and ignore, and run behind our own selfish motives.

Women are more a victim of this when they get old. The mothers are left cornered once the father leaves this world. Children knowingly or unknowingly get busy and ignore their mother and father.

We should teach and show our younger generation the value of showing respect to everyone. The simple act of paying attention does wonders, especially to those elders who suffer from diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. Compassion, patience and learning how to pay attention to small details will not only make their day, but often yours too.

A few things we should try to follow, because one day we would also face the same experience.

Never miss real stories from India's women.

Register Now

• Be open and a good listener .Try to understand what our elders want to say to us, be it our parents or anyone around.
• Show them the respect they deserve.
• Take their advice on most matters. They have more experience than younger people and are able to share their wisdom with others.
• Never ever ignore only because they are weak or can’t give you anything in return. Be grateful that they have struggled to make you capable in this world.
• It is not only responsibility of son to take care but daughters are liable too. Treat them with respect and dignity.
• Finally always remember that whatever we do it will always come back. Karma follows us till death. So we should try to do only good deeds so that only good karma follows us.

Liked this post?

Become a premium user on Women’s Web and get access to exclusive content for women, plus useful Women’s Web events and resources in your city.

Image source: shutterstock

Comments