Seniors make the world go around

I saw this really interesting program yesterday about the last farmer at Vidbynäs. It was about this older man, Eric 88, who had been a farmer all his life. First he rented a farm outside off Stockholm for 25 years until he was evicted because they made a golf course there. So he moved to Vidbynäs, outside off Katrineholm and rented a farm for 33 years until he was evicted because – they made a golf course there. They had destroyed tons and tons off good soil, chopped 22 000 trees and scared away deer, moose, birds, otters, ants and more. This kind off destruction makes me crazy. How can we consider golf more important then people, how can you even compare.

Obviously golf is also more important then production off good food and keeping the biological variety in our gorgeous nature. If golf courses need to exist it should off course be where the land is not used, is that really hard to understand.

Now Eric could not imagine changing his life again so he shot himself. I think it is a scandal that the people who have worked so hard all their lives, building up the welfare we have today, so your and my kids can have mobile phones from the age of 3, can be treated like this. Why don’t we let our older age with dignity? What went wrong? Not long ago grandparents were as natural part of the society but nowadays they are so forgotten, they hardly dare to go outside anymore. When a person doesn’t work anymore, when no more money can be squeezed out off her, throw her on the dump.

Older people can be of tremendous help in so many ways. They are the best babysitters since they do not only cook and bake fantastic but they can also tell stories and are very patient. Actually it isn’t even stories, it is history but since generations live so differently now a day it sure sounds like stories. Kids can’t even fantasize how life looks without TV, let alone computer games. They are fantastic teachers because they know things like chopping wood, good Elvis and Beatles songs, what mushrooms to eat, how to knit a hat, mend your socks or saw clothes. They are fantastic at playing board games and card games. They have time and patience enough to enjoy and really see the child and make it feel special which so many children are completely starved from. So in many aspects they do save us money if we only look at that aspect.

You see, a child that spends time with a senior learns to behave and do not go and bully others, abuse others and steel from others. A child that spends time with a senior gets help with homework and is not seen as a problem child because he might need a little more – or a little different time in school. A child that spends time with a senior feels good about her and does not need to be confirmed through sex or drugs. A child that spends time with a senior learns the logic way the society works; to get money you have to work and to spend money you need to have money (just imagine the enormous social welfare costs we would save right there). A child that spends time with a senior learns to cook and bake and therefore learns to eat well and saves the society enormous money from huge hospital costs with food related diseases like diabetes , obesity etc.

I could go on forever because both I and my children have been growing up with grandparents and other caring seniors around. But I think the most important is; a child growing up with seniors always feels loved and safe and that you cannot put a price on. The conclusion; seniors make the world go around, the world go around, the world go around! They are our history and they help us make our future. So a big thank you and a thousand hugs to all important seniors.

Love and peace!