Let us remind the contribution of the older persons in furtherance of well-being of the people and the civilizations. The great saint poet of India, Tulsidas started writing the famous Ram Charit Manas, which has been ruling the psyche of India for almost six hundred years, at a great age of 77-78, and completed in 2 years, 7 months, and 26 days. Lorna Page has surprised us all who is the oldest debut novelist on record. Her first novel – A Dangerous Weakness – was published when she was 93 years of age. Not only that she surprised us multifold when she spend the money she earned from to book not only to buy a bigger house for herself but also for few of her friends so that they could properly enjoy their golden years of rest of the life.

These are not merely some examples. One can find numerous such examples in our own time. Only a cursory look at the population, we can find that our greatest doctors, learned lawyers, seasoned politicians, brilliant artists, excellent artisans, capable industrialists, successful business persons, extraordinary scientists, and so on among the old age people. Though nature of life puts some physical limitations in the old age, these could not deter many of the older people even going to war. We have numerous examples of old people going to war as warrior from ancient age to our own present times. Many extraordinary warriors of the ancient Trojan War of Greece and the Mahabharata War of India had older people. Even Kunwar Singh of Arah in Bihar waged war against the British by picking up arms at the age of 80 during the first war of Independence of India in 1857. He led the revolt and his people gave very tough fight to the British forces. The whole freedom struggle witnessed numerous older people as participant, and when India became independent in 1947, the older persons gave their shoulder to reshape our country. The so called dwindling physical strength could not subdue several of our prime ministers who worked about 18-20 hours a day.

There are, however, a large number of people who in nature of things in this life develop a most damaging sense of loss, first by losing sons and daughter to their spouses, losing their job for replacement of greener shoulder which comes with a chilling word of ‘retirement’, loss of their fathers, mothers, friends and several near and dear ones in their death, and even loss of their say in the family. This increasing sense of loss makes them melancholic, and either they lose interest in life or become despondent. They start escaping from work and even take refuse in even most damaging ritualistic aspect of religion. In place of growing in their knowledge, they start suffering from several psychological problems. The level of their emotions become unreasonably high and to retain peace of mind becomes too difficult a task in itself.

Such a situation can be avoided with only little efforts, irrespective of the situation an old person happens to be in. We are both our body and mind, and therefore both of them need to be taken care of, first by oneself, and then by giving an idea of the old age to the younger generation having no experience about what is undergoing an old age is like. Younger generation should be enabled to understand the emotional, physical, and intellectual requirements of the old. It is one of the most important task before us, so that the society could cope with the new emerging situation in which increase in longevity is likely to add more and more old age people in our population.

As for the old persons, they can safely dream of living for a great cause. They should not only show care for their family members and other near and dear ones, but also should do something for the society and the nation. They must be aware of the great energy they still possess while avoid all the unreasonable swing of emotions and the pitfalls of the nature of being. The body and the mind requires great care, and they should exert together, to lead a happy life with enthusiasm until the fine day comes with a great kindness to relieve us from all the tribulations of life, and our contributions are recorded by posterity, while we proceed to the ‘unknown world ahead’ with the ‘pious merit’ (Punya) we might have earned in life. Since Dharma generates only by our work of doing something for others without hope of any return, we must do something now until the rest of life.