October 1 marks the International Day of Older Persons — an opportunity, as this year’s message puts it, to pause and reflect on the value, dignity, experience and contribution of people who have lived long lives.
Under the motto “E añanan ta pasa, pero e sabiduria di bida ta keda” — “The years pass, but life’s wisdom remains” — the day invites Aruba to look beyond age itself.
Being an older adult is not only a matter of age, the message notes. It is a stage of life that carries experience, memory, history, knowledge, lessons, joy, loss, triumph and challenge — and often a wisdom that cannot be learned in a classroom. Every older adult is a large part of human memory: they have seen the world change, lived in a time when technology was completely different and communication slower, and they are part of our history.
The reflection warns that a society so concentrated on youth, speed, technology, productivity and appearance can forget a fundamental truth: a society without memory can lose its direction.
Older adults, it argues, should not be seen merely as people with something to teach, but as human beings with rights to dignity, respect, participation, affection, autonomy and quality of life. “The older adult is not a burden,” the message states — and the way a society treats its elders says much about its level of humanity.
Caring for an older person, it continues, is not only about food, medicine or physical assistance. It is also about listening, conversing, respecting, including, recognizing, visiting and protecting — and giving them space to participate, so they keep feeling that their life has meaning and value.
The message calls on generations to connect: young people bring energy, innovation and new ideas; older adults bring experience, memory, perspective and wisdom. When both are willing to listen and learn from each other, society can grow in balance.
And it ends with a simple challenge for today: call an older adult, visit one, ask how they are doing, sit beside them, ask them to tell a story from their youth — and listen. “The challenge is not only to add years to life. The challenge is to add life to the years.”
Source: awe24
