The Twilight Years of our Life

 

      By  Vicodarve

We are all getting older, whether we like it or not, and the "elderly" period of our existence has two sides to challenge: a dreadful stage or rather comfortable living conditions.

In our sophisticated culture, it is common for poor households to have senior members in appalling conditions. Without assistance from their sons or daughters or from the government, they are left to live alone in their homes. On the other side, wealthy seniors naturally spend their golden years in the homes of their children, grandchildren, family members, and friends, where they are shown a lot of tender love and care.

Casimero Dagangon-103 yrs old
Village of Mayana

The first picture remains a dreadful one. Incapacitated elderly, who usually have a long decline in health, suffer most; they are incapable of continuing to live independently. In most cases, key members of the family or dear relatives simply abandon or do not extend the needed help. Some of them are bedridden and paralytic, and others are stricken with diseases that place them in very deplorable conditions. They clearly need valuable assistance, compassion, understanding, and kindness from a well-minded individual.

On the other hand, there are some elderlies who still enjoy life, living together with their children or grandchildren as they have done since the beginning. Of course, the majority are traditionally supported by relatively affluent families and lifelong friends. Most of them typically receive modest pensions and other potential benefits from governments. They are properly treated as members of their children’s families with basic needs in social life. This instantly reminds us to properly take care of our own dear children at the prime of our lives.

No one really knows how long a person lives. For those who are not fortunate enough, they typically end their twilight years in the government homes for the aged, away from their beloved children and legitimate grandchildren, relatives, and friends. As in most cultural traditions, parents who care about their children during the thick and thin of their lives and able to manage a knitted family, ending their twilight years under the affectionate arms of their children.

Despite notable advances in the modern medical profession, all of us are getting older with the passing years. The conscious thought of what might happen to us as we cross over to the dark side of old age is a real drama of our life. Recently, my neighbor living in a village received a cash award for having reached 100 years old.

Civilized mankind must return from dust to dust, but before coming out onto the world stage, an unspeakable old age presses people down, rendering them either living in a deplorable or well-cared-for stage in their lives. The fundamental fact is that most of us come to a frail stage, and whether we like it or not, that twilight of our lives is a reality that everyone must accept.

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