by Richard Serra

Created on: March 22, 2007   Last Updated: November 17, 2011

Out of place comes to mind. Coming from a time where technology was just beginning to be of value, life today is a real challenge for the elderly in so many ways. Nothing feels the way it should be.
Everything is much too fast. There is just too much of everything that doesn't make sense from their way of thinking. They don't enjoy the respect once paid to the elderly. They are like "Lambs in the Wild," for they are innocent once again, just like small children who need help and protection.

Many are so confused and wish there was a feeling of life that was familiar with what they remember, but can never be.
Of course, nobody can be bothered to pay too much attention to them. They are just like little children who need attention, but all are too busy to accommodate them.

The thing that comes to mind for the elderly is that they know that it's only a matter of time. A few years, maybe even months, but there will be that time where they are rescued from all of what is so abnormal for them. The elderly of today lived in a time where life was at a much slower pace. Hardly any technology as we know it today and there was a respect for one another that just doesn't seem to exist these days.

It's a very strange world for anyone who has lived in the 40's or 50's as a young person, having almost a perfect existence, with the right balance of technology to make life easier, but not to a point where it becomes something that threatens that peaceful existence via moving so fast that it leaves the elderly feeling useless.

So many times you hear an elderly person say, "I can't wait till I'm gone. Just can't live in this new world anymore." It's true. Many do feel that way, and for good reason. Unless you are born into today’s world, whereas you automatically adapt, there is little hope for those who have reached that age, where everything is much too complicated to grasp.

Elderly do have a place in modern society, but not for the reasons that would be beneficial for them. It's the wisdom and knowledge they have gained through the years, that can be passed on to the younger generation, and thus have their place in modern society. For today’s generation, these modern times will be the good old days, and they too will face the challenges’ that the elderly face today, but in an entirely different world as we now know it.

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