The Role of Age in Today's Society

Use this forum to discuss the March 2018 Book of the Month, "Final Notice" by Van Fleisher.
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Shrabastee Chakraborty
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Re: The Role of Age in Today's Society

Post by Shrabastee Chakraborty »

Yes, unfortunately what the author depicts in this respect is what we see in today's society. We are busy getting on with our lives, or what is left of that, running all the time; and in the process we are neglecting those people who brought us to this position in the first place. We often give far less time to them than what we should, I should confess that I personally am guilty of this. Also, I have seen/known about quite a few instances where seniors were disrespected, ridiculed, and even tortured! I think most of the younger people think of the elderly as 'burdens', never realising that one day they would be there too!
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Richard Whitehead
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Post by Richard Whitehead »

Life is very dynamic, the old segment of the society seems to be less progressive. I think the author has mirrored what actually happens in our today's society.
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Post by Irishmom »

My mother is suddenly, in the last few months, seeming old to me (she is 70.) Less able to navigate the world, less socially aware. My feelings about this are painful. She was always ultra-competent, in charge, and able to take care of everything. I feel, in losing that, she has lost a lot of who she is. I hope that the general public does not treat her as "less" due to this, but I think they will. I am worried now that she will be taken advantage of by businesses, for example. I have respect for her as my mother, and because of who I know she really is, or was. Others may not. I think the book was spot-on in this, especially in terms of those who are even more disabled by age than my mother, as in, those who are no longer living independently.
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. "~Groucho Marx
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Post by nancyab »

I am elderly. I will be 82 this coming November. I do feel the elderly are looked down upon in today's society. Younger people do not understand the health issues facing us older people. Yes, I can see where we are made fun of and dismissed as an undesirable human being. I have difficulty walking and sometimes use a cane. I heard one young person say, in a loud voice, "Why do we have to get out of their way just because they use a cane. Why can't they wait for us to get by?" A member of our group, the Enfield Single Seniors was put into a nursing home by her two daughters, not for their concern over her, but to be able to sell her house and gain the use of her money. She was getting along very nicely on her own. Sad, they don't even go see her, but just literally "dumped" her there and left.
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Post by arcie72 »

Sadly in today's society you do not have to be a true Senior to be considered old. Some young adults and even those in their thirties seem to have lost the respect that older and more experienced people have to offer. This can be seen in families, work place and within the community at large. I hope that everyone understands that they will get old and they should hope that the impatient, uncaring or unsympathetic attitudes towards older people changes. It wasn't that long ago that multigenerational families lived happily together. I applaud the effort to make the plight of aging citizens a point in the book.
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Post by haleygerstenberg »

ViziVoir wrote: 13 Mar 2018, 10:16 I feel like change has happened so quickly in the past decades, with the advent of personal computing and cell phones, that it's easy for our society to leave the elderly in the dust. Choosing the elderly as the minority group of focus in this novel was a good move, in my opinion. It avoids dating the book, and since societal change will likely continue at its current breakneck pace, this ensures it will stay relevant for some time.
I completely agree with you, the way technology has grown so rapidly doesn't just make people seem older earlier and more aggressively - it's almost like it's changed what it means to be old entirely, at least in the way society views things. Instead of having a lot of generally applicable experience that the younger crowd can look to and appreciate (like, an old farmer would be easy for a young farmer to appreciate) the practical-relatable side of things is abstracted away and a lot of the old metaphors don't translate on the surface. So being old is equated to being an outsider. And then there's the whole issue that we're always busy, so we as a society don't necessarily take the time to get to know older folks, which further cements the idea that they're irrelevant... The author definitely hit on a real and ongoing issue.
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Post by agboola adenike »

respecting the elders is very important because someday we would find ourselves in their position, we don't have to treat them bad, we just need to show to them love that they've shown to us when we were younger
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Post by [Valerie Allen] »

There's no difference. If you can't seemly respect yourself, you're more than likely are not going to respect anyone else, especially the elderly, aging people.
And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. (Revelation 20:12 (NKJV) :reading-7:
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Post by nomercy7786 »

it is too bad that so many people ve little to no respect for their elders in this society and would prefer to place them in a home. But demographic had been changed, i think that the theme of the book would ve changed to an extent, but some elements would ve stayed the same..
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Post by alisonedgee »

tbh i think nowadays i don’t care how old you are, or what you lived through, i do value ones opinion, but if somebody 40years older than me says something stupid i’ll disagree so personally i don’t thing age has anything to do with anything
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Post by McOwade »

Wisdom is a strong foundation to a life worthy of being called 'a fulfillment'.
It is worth noting that in the current millennium, the aged tend to be the fabric that glues our societies together. The question is how significant is this? Firstly, age comes with experience therefore the dissemination of this valuable asset has helped in guiding our younger generation, preparing us for life's obstacles. Secondly, naturally societies tend to obey orders from high, hence the counsel from the elderly has been relevant in traditional dispute resolution and providing a sense of direction.

Conclusion: The Aged/ Elderly are key to a prosperous society.
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Post by Sefiros2211 »

Age is the enemy. It is the fear we reject, the thing we keep at arm's length. It doesn't mean wisdom. It means you're going to go just a little sooner.

I think the book could work with a minority cast rehaul. The book is about desperation, about being slapped down, reduced to dust, made to feel worthless. Certainly, minorities live these experiences. We only need to look at slummy neighborhoods and gangs to know the anger in those who's suffered because of their skin tone. The Man slaps them down? No, we're going to slap HIM down. It's all escalation.

If we learn to celebrate our elderly, glean answers from their own experiences, then I think we can overcome difficulties. But desperation runs rampant. It does not discriminate. In desperation, people can turn to violence. I fear that is the role our society expects.

And I have no idea how to fix it.
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Post by CheyenneR »

I wouldn't say the world, just the US. I have seen the way the elderly are treated in other cultures and it is much better than in the states. That doesn't mean every single place but still many of them. I think his depiction is somewhat spot on.
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Post by burhan patel »

Our age plays most important role in our life because everyone treat us by our age. Most of people obey the advises of aged people than younger people.Young people can give advises to people but they should have to be expert in those fields
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Post by Jillpillbooknerd »

Unfortunately, I feel like the views of the elderly in the book were accurate. As my parents get older, especially my mom, I see how she is treated by people. It makes me angry and saddened to think that people get treated differently because of their age. Our elders (I hate to use that term) have so much wisdom and knowledge that we can learn from them if we would only slow down and hang out with them more.
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