by Jac Emma John

Created on: July 15, 2009   Last Updated: July 17, 2009

Today, many countries have a challenge: to provide and care for a growing number of elderly populations. With better medical facilities and advancement in technology, the life expectancy of the world population is getting longer, and we see more families of 4 healthy generations now than 50 years ago. In order for the families and societies to form a harmonious relationship with these different generations, it is no doubt that a continuous and honest communication between generations is critical. Much emphasis is being placed on listening in a communication, and I think we should not only focus on listening to our children or partners, we should place equal emphasis in listening to the elderly.

Why do I say so?

Remember when we were 9 years old and we did some stupid things then we regretted at 15? Again, we regretted more silly mistakes made in our teenage years when we were at our 20's or 30's. As we moved on into a new chapter of life, we probably got married and had kids, then we regretted over certain issues which we hoped we could turn back the clock and mend the problem. What do we see here? Yes, Bingo! The older version we is always smarter than the younger version of we. And that my friend, is the fundamental reason why it's important to listen to the elderly.

The comfort and conveniences we enjoy today are the work of the elderly. They are the people responsible in moulding our societies. Their vast life experiences should be used as a guide when we approach and carve out our own paths. I am not saying that we must follow exactly what the elderly tell us: We listen to their stories and advices, choose the relevant points to help us advance or to avoid making the same mistakes twice.

The elderly reserve our respect and love, and we owe what we have today to them. They may not be as productive as we are, or they may have become too dependent on us that it sometimes gets on our nerve Forget not when we were little and they were young, we weren't as productive as they were, and we were totally dependent on them for a long period of time. They never deserted us. On the contrary, they gave us love and patience, led and guided us till we were able to walk independently without grasping on to their coarse hands.

Yes, I think it is extremely important to listen to the elderly, whether they are nagging, mumbling or giving advices. The act of us listening intently to them is the strongest proof of our love for them.

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