Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord. Leviticus 19:32
Lack of respect for older people has always been a touchy subject for me. It hits a nerve probably because I have a much older father. My dad, born in 1930, is going to be 86 in a week and I’m only 20. My dad is a true Renaissance man and I do not tell him enough, but I’m very proud of him. When my dad was in college at Juilliard School in New York City, New York, his dream was to be a professional singer. While looking back through his high school yearbooks all his classmates wished him good luck on his music career path. After graduating from Juilliard however, my dad had to forget about that dream and provide for his first wife and five children. Now being older and having shortness of breath, he has been reduced to blaring classic tunes and German music on his stereo in his office (which I quite enjoy) instead of singing.
I experienced the fullness of my anger for the lack of respect of older people during freshman year of high school when some snotty punk kids got off the bus one day and thought it would be "just hilarious" to go pull out the beautiful flowers my dad had planted just the weekend before. Recalling how much my dad hurt after working long hours in the yard that day, his work being destroyed infuriated me. These big tall flowers were pulled right out of the ground from the bulb. Just thinking about it now again gets me worked up. I had witnessed this event from inside the house and as you can imagine I ran out of the house without thought and scared the shit out those kids by morphing into the stereotypically angry “get off my lawn” old man. As much as I loved those flowers, my anger wasn’t for their loss but justice for my father’s hard work.
When I say I want chivalry for the elderly I’m not talking about medieval knighthood code, but courtesy, awareness, and respect for our elders. I’m sure you have heard the phrase “chivalry is not dead,” followed by a man opening a car door for a women or taking his coat off his back for her — this is kind of what I’m talking about. Today’s younger generation in particular I believe has been at fault of seeing older folks as irrelevant because they are not up to date with the latest technology and therefore completely excuse their wisdom simply because many are not knowledgeable in this area. Also, because our elders often have hearing problems and move a little slower (at least this is the case of my father), people do not have patience with them and therefore often dismiss them by quickly passing them by on the street with an exaggerated sigh. Well news flash kids, if you live long enough you are most likely going to experience these problems too because no one is invincible, not even your current young self!
The elderly should not be stored away in the corner from the rest of society. Instead, we should seek them out enthusiastically because their stories are heartfelt and funny and should be celebrated! I encourage you to take time this week and sit down with one elder you know or get them on the phone and ask them about what they have learned over their years, because many of the problems they have experienced, you will too. For goodness sake please be aware of them and start being chivalrous!
