A Message To The Young, The Adult & The Old

Common Sense Commentary: The benefits and improvements of old age are few; but those few have a place in serving God. Most old people not only have a lifetime of experience to share, some good and some not, but also, usually, that experience has become the root and source of patience, sensitivity, and wisdom.  And those old age benefits are the wellspring of "advice", which most old people are known to have shared lavishly and often.  King Solomon was full of advice to the young. He had to
be quite old when He wrote the wisdom of Proverbs and the acute awareness of Ecclesiastes.  I say that because he was so well acquainted with, and on a personal name basis with, the liabilities of old age when he wrote the latter. 

Let me paraphrase Ecc.12:1-7......  Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before you get old and have few pleasant days, your eyesight is poor, and your arms and legs give way. In those days, even strong men are stooped and grow weak. Your old, worn teeth break and give you pain. Your hearing fails you ... except when small noises awaken you in the night .... But you can't even hear a bird singing, in the day-time. In those difficult days of old age, once brave people are afraid of heights and danger in the streets. Your hair turns white or falls out, and all your bodily functions begin to misfire, backfire and retire. Then, you lose interest in things which once excited you, and finally you die.
Yes, I know, that is not encouraging, a bit morbid, but true nevertheless.

The reason folks have to retire is that they no longer have time to work because of doctor's appointments, dental appointments, optician appointments, hearing-aid appointments, banker appointments to straighten out overdrafts, bounced checks or lost checkbook. All this while you are trying to catch up on sleep you lost the last two weeks or visiting your children who are about to divorce etc. etc. etc.  In old age you spend most of your time doing things which once were trivial or didn't exist at all.  Exercising tired and worn old bones and muscles is a major challenge and eating the wrong thing can throw your digestive system into a tizzy. Even bathing, shampooing and shaving become a real task. Keeping your house and clothes clean and cooking and "uncooking" become more boring still.  That's why many old people's homes smell like... old people's homes...not bad but not good.  Also, many old people just can't drive at night and it's hard enough in the daytime.  So don't be too hard on the elderly for not doing everything you think they should do.  You are supposed to pick up where they left off, doing the hard work of the Lord's church.  If you are judgemental or impatient with them, the young will be judgemental and impatient with you when you are in those old shoes.  "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged..." Lk.6:37.

Ending life in old age is somewhat similar to beginning life as an infant, but in reverse.
While the young are gearing up from childhood to adulthood, we oldsters are gearing down to our second childhood.  While children's strength is increasing, our strength is decreasing.  As children have to be told two or three times at the beginning of life, we have to be told four or five times at the ending of life.  At the beginning, absolutely everything has to be done for a baby and at the ending, absolutely everything has to be done for the elderly. A baby begins life having to be fed and old folks end life ... having to be fed. And then there is that diaper thing ... at the beginning and at the ending ... Pitiful prospect.  I think I'll skip that stage. RB  

The coming and going of life, the giving and the taking.
"I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." Psm.37:25 
"Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." Ecc.12:7

One last thing.  Don't give a book on "Old Age" written by anyone under 70. RB