On the occasion of the 80th birthday of the famous inventor Thomas Alva Edison, one of his friends advised, "Now you should slow down your work pace and adopt a hobby for entertainment. Why don't you start playing golf?" Edison replied casually, "I am not that old yet."
The famous mathematician and philosopher Bertrand Russell, while giving the recipe for living well in old age, writes, "At the age of 86, it is not unreasonable for me to claim that I have also acquired some proficiency in the art of spending old age. I believe that if your interests and field of work are quite wide, diverse and you get involved in them, then there is no reason why you should sit and count the figures of your age, how many years you have spent and as the figures increase, you should become doubtful about your future."
As far as I can tell, there are two dangers against which one must be cautious in old age. One of them is that one should not accumulate too many memories of the past. There is really no use in regretting the past or being sad about what is not left. Instead, one should focus one's thoughts on the present. To make the present beautiful, it is necessary to come out of the depths of the past and work with devotion, dedication and hard work. When the present is good, the future will automatically become good.
Keeping oneself busy with work, carefreeness and leisure are the wheels of a long life. The elderly are the invaluable assets of our family, society and nation, who have a huge store of practical knowledge and experience. The elderly have the infallible panacea to many complex problems, they have the experience of facing every problem wisely and firmly. We need to learn all this from them.
'Jeevem Sharadah Shatam' - means the wish to live for a hundred years and 'Ayushmaan Bhavah' means long life The blessing of the father is an integral part of our culture. Every person, due to the desire to attain salvation and the belief in rebirth, wants to live long and do good deeds. Everyone wishes to leave this world only after seeing the faces of their grandchildren. In response to Yaksha's question 'What is the biggest wonder of the world?' Yudhishthira had said that even after seeing others dying every day, the rest of the people believe that they will live forever. At the national level, we have to take measures to ensure longevity of the elderly in the society. It is our duty to respect them. The urban person is becoming increasingly insensitive. Everyone should follow the basic mantra of 'Retire but not tired'. We have to remember that when an old man dies, the past dies and when a child dies, the future dies. The behavior we will show to our elders is what our children will see and imitate.
Children - The children who serve their old parents with body, mind and money. Those who consider it their duty to serve their parents, think about the debt of their parents, how they brought up their children, made them capable by providing them education, etc. and give them every possible happiness, they receive blessings from their parents at the end of their lives. Their life remains happy and they keep progressing. Those who have not given happiness to their parents may make themselves rich but there is lack of inner happiness and joy in their life. Therefore, consider serving not only your parents but also the elders as your religion, a sacred act.
