One of the things we used to learn at home and in school was to respect your elders. I can't remember the last time someone offered to open a door for me, or helped me to my car with packages or even offered to lend a hand when I was obviously struggling with something heavy or bulky.
Not that I need help, but no one even asks. I can remember a time when you wanted to yield your bus seat to an elderly person so that they wouldn't have to struggle with the frequent stops and starts of the bus. Much easier to negotiate the erratic movements when you are younger, right? I've seen teens occupy seats that rightfully should belong to seniors and disrespectfully sit there with their ear phones completely oblivious to the fact that someone else might need some consideration.
The only preferential treatment that seniors get now a days is the frequent senior discounts. Give a senior a discount on Tuesdays and you might end up with more traffic in your store. Stores use discounts to entice seniors to visit....but what about the other days of the week when they don't seem as welcome?
Our population is aging fast...baby boomers are entering the ranks of the aged at lightning speed and with numbers that amount to millions each day. This demographic group will be the largest and will be able to wield power in both numbers and dollars. But perhaps they are too tired to make a big issue of it, but they just don't seem to get the deserved respect they have earned. If children spent more time with the elderly, their grandparents for example, many fewer of them would be getting into trouble of one kind or another and might learn some manners at the same time. Perhaps it is time to restore the extended family, one that revered the elder generations and respected their experience and wisdom.
Not that I need help, but no one even asks. I can remember a time when you wanted to yield your bus seat to an elderly person so that they wouldn't have to struggle with the frequent stops and starts of the bus. Much easier to negotiate the erratic movements when you are younger, right? I've seen teens occupy seats that rightfully should belong to seniors and disrespectfully sit there with their ear phones completely oblivious to the fact that someone else might need some consideration.
The only preferential treatment that seniors get now a days is the frequent senior discounts. Give a senior a discount on Tuesdays and you might end up with more traffic in your store. Stores use discounts to entice seniors to visit....but what about the other days of the week when they don't seem as welcome?
Our population is aging fast...baby boomers are entering the ranks of the aged at lightning speed and with numbers that amount to millions each day. This demographic group will be the largest and will be able to wield power in both numbers and dollars. But perhaps they are too tired to make a big issue of it, but they just don't seem to get the deserved respect they have earned. If children spent more time with the elderly, their grandparents for example, many fewer of them would be getting into trouble of one kind or another and might learn some manners at the same time. Perhaps it is time to restore the extended family, one that revered the elder generations and respected their experience and wisdom.