Elderly 老年人

The elderly have become a question in our modern society. Are they a resource or a burden? As far as many well developed countries are concerned, the people live longer than before, and it is costly to care for the growing ageing group. However, there is a thought of the elderly as a resource and their experience and wisdom are to be esteemed.

The above views on the elderly are based on a pragmatic perspective. However, the pragmatic perspective may not necessarily be authentic. I would like to share another perspective based on two sources.

First, we should have gratitude towards the elderly because of their past contribution even though they have become dependent during their old age. This is in accordance to the Chinese teaching such as “Having gratitude” (饮水思源) and “Filial piety” (孝亲敬老).

Another source which reminds us to honour the elderly is based on the Bible, in which there is a saying, “Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness.” This saying gives a similar exhortation to us that the elderly deserve honour especially they have been living in a righteous way. It is also a reminder to the new generation that the good heritage of the older generation is to be continued. There is a connection between the old and the new generations as both are human beings living together and depending on one another at a certain time in this world.

I was impressed by an organisation who has captured the above and translated such goodness into a home for the elderly. I was invited to attend their opening ceremony being held on 1 July 2018 at Bukit Mertajam, Pinang. The center is named, “Stream of Grace Elders Home”. The purpose is to be a shelter that the elderly can feel at home at the last stage of their life before they pass onto the next world.

Photo of the fountain of the Stream of Grace Elders Home that can well signify the gift of life and gratitude towards the elderly.
恩典之泉乐龄中心的喷泉照片，可以很好地表示生活的礼物和对老人的感激之情。

老年人

老年人已经成为我们现代社会的一个问题。它们是资源还是负累呢？就许多发达国家而言，人们的寿命比以前更长，照顾不断增长的老龄化群体的开销也越来越高。然而，也有人认为老年人是一种资源，他们的经验和智慧该受到重视。

上述意见是试图从务实的角度看待老年人。但是，务实的观点不一定是正确的。我想基于其他资料分享另一个观点。

首先，我们要对老年人过去的贡献感恩，即使他们在年老时已经变成依赖者。这观点符合“饮水思源”和“孝敬敬老”的中国人教导。

而提醒我们要尊重老人的另一个来源是圣经，内中就有一句话：「白发是荣耀的冠冕，在公义的道上必能得着。」这句话类似中国人的劝告，即老人应该得到尊重，特别是他们以正直的方式生活。这也是对新一代的提醒，老一代的良好传统需要加以持续。新旧两代之间存有一定的联系，因为我们曾在某个階段一起生活，并且也彼此依赖。

有一个抓住了上述教导并将它转化为”乐龄中心”的组织给我留下了深刻的印象。我被邀请参加他们於2018年7月1日在槟城大山脚举行的开幕礼。该中心被命名为“恩典之泉乐龄中心”，其目的是要为老人提供一个家，让老年人在人生最后阶段能够有个家，並预備他们好好的进入未来。