Resolve to be Grateful for Grandparents and to give Elders the Respect they deserve 2day

Maybe your grandparents live next door, or maybe they live in another country. Maybe you have four grandparents or maybe only one. But so many young people don’t really appreciate their own grandparents and the elders of the world.

In some parts of the world, the elders of the society are regarded with the utmost respect – for their knowledge and their experience. They are consulted on all important matters and young people go to them for guidance.
In other places, older people are treated as unimportant, as second-class citizens. They are forgotten; their views don’t count.
But wherever you live, how YOU think of your grandparents and other older people is up to YOU.

Why should we respect older people?
-BECAUSE some of the world’s most amazing people are over 70
Nelson Mandela, 90 years old, was 71 when he was released from his 27-year imprisonment. He was 75 when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. On his 89th birthday Mandela announced the formation of a new group, The Elders. The group is made up of world leaders who work together, using their wisdom and experience, towards solutions for global problems. Other members are Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter and Kofi Annan.

-BECAUSE grandparents do a great job even when they shouldn’t have to do it
Millions of grandparents across the world are the primary carers for their orphaned grandchildren. These grandparents are grieving for the loss of their own sons and daughters. They thought their days of raising young children were over, and should be enjoying their retirement. Yet they take on the responsibility of child care without complaint and give these children as much love as they can.

-BECAUSE older means more experienced
If you get a job for a company and start off in a low position, you understand that the people in positions above you, who have been there for many years, are more experienced than you, and you respect them for that and hope to learn from them.
Well, it should be the same between the younger and older generations of society. Your grandparents and the elders of your society were seeing and experiencing things 50 years before you were. Just think of all the things they have seen and experienced that you have only read about!

-BECAUSE people are people, regardless of age
How would you describe yourself, or your best friend? Clever, funny, creative, a chatterbox? Crazy about cars or soccer-mad? As a young person, there are so many attributes and characteristics that make you who you are, and it is exactly the same for every older person. Ten older people are not all the same just because they are all ‘old’ – they are all unique with individual interests, hobbies and talents. But if you don’t take the time to get to know your grandparents and the other older people in your community, you won’t find out who they really are.

I hope my blog has made you think about how the elders of your society, and of every society in the world, are individuals and are deserving of respect from younger people. Remember, some of the coolest, bravest and most interesting people on this planet are over 70!


Interesting websites:
http://www.sponsoragrandparent.org.uk/ - help support a grandparent
http://www.theelders.org/ - Nelson Mandela's group of Global Elders for a Global community