Elders are gifts, not 'burdens'

Mahatma Gandhi  (Public Domain)

When a father in his 80s decides to kill his wife and himself so that they won’t be “a burden on their family,” something has gone terribly horribly wrong.

That “something” is our throw-away society.  When a car needs a few major repairs… time for a new one.  When a food item is one day past its expiration date… time to toss it.  Never mind that others are dying for lack of that same nourishment.

And so it is with our elders... Whether they be animals or humans, their liberty and pursuit of happiness is often forfeited at the first signs of major illness. 

When diagnosed with a so-called terminal disease, animals are often “put down.”  Why not instead “put them up” by lovingly caring for them in their time of need?

As for people, it behooves us to come up with much better support systems than we currently have.  It was Mahatma   Gandhi who warned:  The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members. 

Resources

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/missouri-man-88-pleads-guilty-fatally-stabbing-wife-29351203

Copyright March 6, 2015 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved