A Word from an Old Sage?

I read a news headline the other day about a news anchor being hit with a police complaint because he threatened an elderly man.  An elderly man.  How old do you suppose the elderly man was?

I pictured a man with a walker, or at the very least, a cane, hobbling down the sidewalk.  Frail and slight, I couldn’t imagine why someone would threaten him, let alone a news anchor!

It reminded me of the time, many years ago, that our neighbor’s adult daughter came to our door.  I don’t remember what she needed, probably because I am still recovering from her calling me Ma’am. 

I mean, come on, I was only 34!

I found myself rationalizing that some people might use Ma’am as a sign of respect for anyone older than themselves. 

Still, how do I rationalize that while I was talking to my neighbor the other day and she mentioned her mom, I realized I was her mom’s age?  The added insult is when people talk about their parents of a certain age, as if they are old?

I’m not old!  I’m not Ma’am worthy (okay, maybe now more than years ago), but let’s be clear, I am NOT elderly!

So, with that image in your mind, how old do YOU think the elderly man was that the newsman threatened?

He was 65.

65!

Can we please stop referring to 65 year old people as elderly?

I may not be “fit as a fiddle” and maybe there are days my arthritis stiffens me up a little, and, point of fact, I am not yet 65, but still, even I know that 65 years old is not elderly!

Here’s what I think (in case you were wondering.)  I think years ago, 65 may have seemed elderly, but that is certainly not the case today.  Many sixty-five year olds today workout, try to eat better, and work, volunteer and attend classes like never before!

So my point to all of this is that, I suppose, your view of what is considered elderly probably comes from your state in life, particularly your current age, but I know one thing for sure . . .

In today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles (Chapter 5), the apostles, didn’t have any hesitation about walking out of that jail to continue teaching the people in the temple area, going against the warning they had been given by the Sanhedrin.

They were able to do this because they had the help from the “angel of the Lord” who “opened the doors of the prison, led them out, and said, “Go and take your place in the temple area, and tell the people everything about this life.”

And that, is what each of us is called to do, even today—“tell the people everything about this life”—no matter how old we are.  (To read an interesting article about the possible age of the apostles, check this out, When Were the Apostles Born?

Whatever you consider your temple area, however you can do it, no matter your age, consider the gift God has given you in faith, and go and tell everyone about “this life.”

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.blogspot.com
janetcassidy.blubrry.net

It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard (Acts 4:20)