People Get Old

By Nils Olson

I have been asked to write my viewpoints of how I would like to be treated when I become an old person. I believe that since each one of us is created a human being with a body, soul and spirit, that there is no difference between Japanese or Americans. Yes, we all have been given a spirit with emotions which lives in a body. Europeans, Asians, Australians, Africans, South or North Americans and Japanese are all made of the same ingredients. It is the culture and traditions of our countries that make us different. We must go beyond culture and tradition and get to the heart of the matter: People get old. How do I want to spend the last years of my life?

The enemies people face as they get old are three — loneliness, fear of being left alone and death. No old person wants to be left in a corner and forgotten while the rest of the family and friends are out having a good time. If that happens, depression sets in, life becomes boring, purpose and goal begin to fade. Many old people’s death certificates state the cause of death as cancer, heart attack, stroke etc., when they should say “broken and lonely heart.” When I die, I want my death certificate to say the cause of death was simply “old age.”

To combat loneliness that accompanies old age, I would like to always be around the younger generation, seeing their enthusiasm, hearing their ideas and admiring their efforts to fulfill their goals in life.
My goal in life is to be happy and healthy, but I also have a goal in the life that I know exists after I die. That goal is hope and faith in the children I have raised — hope that they, by being a good example to the community, will continue teaching the upright, honest principles our forefathers taught us.

I can be healthy and happy in old age as long as I keep active; as long as I keep an open heart to communicate with the younger generation. I love talking with old people. I love to hear about their past. Their years of hardship, suffering, blessing and abundance inspire me with the thought that I shall never be alone.

When I get old, bring me young people, put something in my hands and encourage me to do something, take me some place I’ve never been, ask me about the days of my youth. Don’t let me become a doter (a person who has become foolish or weak-minded, especially because of old age). Even though my body is old, keep my heart young and alive by talking with me, by asking me my opinions and advice. Old people today have the answers to many of the problems our world faces today, because they have experienced a long life. The problem is, we never ask them. We have not, because we ask not.

When death approaches me, I want to be doing things and sharing with others so that I won’t have time to think about dying. Then, when it comes, it will be no shock. It will be as natural as life itself. You know, death is a part of life, and every man has an appointment with it. After that, each one of us will have to answer the question: “How did you live your life?”

If I become so old and unable to function as a part of my family, then I would want my children to put me in a nursing home where professional staff will treat me just as I have written here. Old people are a part of life until they die. Old people should be treated the way we would want to be treated when we get old, that is with dignity.

When you see an old person walking with their face looking down at the street, greet them with a smile in your voice and say, “Good afternoon!” By doing so, their face, and then their heart will be lifted up to meet yours, making them realize that life isn’t as bad as they thought — because YOU paid attention to them.