Living less than 15 minutes away from an elementary school, my daily afternoon jog usually takes me within earshot of conversations of children in the playground. I remember one particular little girl, red in the face, angrily ranting to her friends about her parents’ failure to purchase an iPhone for her as a Christmas present. It occurred to me then that this little girl is most likely someone who has everything she needs. Only someone who has never been through hardships could make such a fuss over something so trivial. My grandmother used to tell me that my generation ‘grew up in a honey pot’, everything was established for us by our parents; we live in carefree homes fueled by unconditional love.
This is why I personally believe that we need to learn about the hardships our parents’ and grandparents’ generations went through to bring us where we are now. Communication between youth and seniors will teach us just how lucky we are. What we now take for granted used to be no more than a dream to those who worked so hard for their children’s lives to be easier. Even now, as we complain about the Wi-Fi speed and having to wake early every morning for school, some of these people still struggle to make a living. From the 83 year old woman who lives on $278.44 month, preferring to eat less than to ask for her children’s aid, to the 67 year old man who fights to balance both his cheque book and his sanity, these seniors have suffered way more than their fair share of pain. Social isolation, housing crisis, and immigration issues; the concern over these dilemmas is robbing them of the peace in their lives.
Can you imagine having to walk several hours in the freezing cold every day just to save up enough money to pay the rent? Can you imagine digging through trash cans for a living? Or not having a toonie for a cup of Tim Horton’s? Many of us encounter seniors in need on a daily basis, but never paid enough attention to realize the severity of this problem. And even when we do, some of us would rather look away than get involved. But turning a blind eye to the problem does not make it go away; sometimes acknowledgement by itself is not enough. Maybe it’s time to put down that smartphone and help make a senior’s day.
Communication is key to building bridges between generations, I think that the first step towards helping our seniors in need is to hear their stories and empathize. ‘The senior’s issues constellation’ of the ‘Calgary Poverty reduction initiative’ collects stories of many seniors who have been through, or are currently dealing with hardships. And if you want to get involved, the seniors secret service offers many fun volunteering opportunities to help out those in need. There are a lot of ways to get involved and make a difference, sometimes even the smallest gestures, like helping a grandma with her grocery bags or assisting an elder across the road, can put a smile on their faces. And besides, what better feeling is there than knowing your good deed was gratefully acknowledged?