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01/10/2019
A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with George Craig, a Methodist local preacher in Cardiff
Last on
Tue 1 Oct 201905:43
BBC Radio 4
Script:
Good morning. Today is the United Nations’ International Day of Older Persons. Now, at first glance, the revelation that more and more of us are living to a very advanced age looks like rather good news. And for some it is – but not for everybody.
Which is where the International Day of Older Persons comes in.
It’s in part a celebration of older people. But it’s also about the fact that long life can bring many challenges.
Around the world there are an awful lot of places where it’s acceptable to deny people work; access to healthcare; education; or the right to participate in government, purely because of their age.
All of which can mean that instead of an enjoyable and rewarding phase in people’s lives, old age can be a miserable time as many of the things that we think of as identifying us – job, money, skills and friends are taken away. There can come a devastating sense that somehow, as we get older we become less of a person.
The Bible tradition honours the old for their good fortune and their experience – I particularly like what the book of Proverbs has to say on the subject – “The glory of the young is their strength; the grey hair of experience is the splendour of the old”: That’s age as a badge of honour.
We can make a strong case that the experience and wisdom of older people are assets that society would be foolish to waste. But at the heart of all this surely, is that, young or old, every one of us is a valuable individual who deserves to be loved, respected and treated with dignity.
Father God, we thank you for the older people who enrich our lives. Make us more aware of the fact that we can enrich theirs simply by giving them the respect and the dignity to which they are entitled. Amen
Which is where the International Day of Older Persons comes in.
It’s in part a celebration of older people. But it’s also about the fact that long life can bring many challenges.
Around the world there are an awful lot of places where it’s acceptable to deny people work; access to healthcare; education; or the right to participate in government, purely because of their age.
All of which can mean that instead of an enjoyable and rewarding phase in people’s lives, old age can be a miserable time as many of the things that we think of as identifying us – job, money, skills and friends are taken away. There can come a devastating sense that somehow, as we get older we become less of a person.
The Bible tradition honours the old for their good fortune and their experience – I particularly like what the book of Proverbs has to say on the subject – “The glory of the young is their strength; the grey hair of experience is the splendour of the old”: That’s age as a badge of honour.
We can make a strong case that the experience and wisdom of older people are assets that society would be foolish to waste. But at the heart of all this surely, is that, young or old, every one of us is a valuable individual who deserves to be loved, respected and treated with dignity.
Father God, we thank you for the older people who enrich our lives. Make us more aware of the fact that we can enrich theirs simply by giving them the respect and the dignity to which they are entitled. Amen
Broadcast
- Tue 1 Oct 201905:43BBC Radio 4
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