Great Civilizations, come and go. Great People grace us not often enough, but how do we want to be remembered as a Nation?
There are times when I feel like I am merely tilting at Windmills, just spinning my wheels, when I talk about how things are with Mom. It is almost like a lonely war is being waged, where there is no one fighting, other than me. Oh I know, that isn’t true, yet when you read comments or listen to one’s political leaders, well, it can be disheartening.
I suppose many don’t consider what it is, to be old, unless you either are old, or are caring for one who is ancient. Out of sight, out of mind, is the saying, isn’t it? To use a phrase, old people are lost in the shadows of our society.
They aren’t out in the work force, though they used to be. They aren’t out canvassing at your door to sell you a new vacuum or to elicit your support for better schools, or a new park. Granted, some in advanced years are, but we seem to not see them.
They become invisible to us, because they move slower, they talk softer or can’t hear us too well. So we just ignore them, like we ignore the homeless or the begger on the street corner. We have become immune to their plight, because we are consumed with our own issues, our own little dramas and dilemas. After all, we have mortgages to pay, rent to pay, hydro to pay, car payments, credit cards to pay, etc. How can we be expected to worry about some invisible Senior Citizen, or why should we even care? After all, they aren’t our Parents… yet.
It is like, who cares if there are more product recalls, or a more dangerous food supply. our immune systems can cope, or we can quickly run and get some anti biotics. Hell, if we are scared, we can rush out to by some drugs or whatever, because we’ll just work an extra hour of overtime, or not put so much into our RRSP, right? Doesn’t matter than a Senior can’t do that, or has a poor immune system.
I mean, they were smart people, they should have put more aside for their old age, worked longer instead of retiring at 65 or 70, right?
And yet, I don’t really think we all buy into that. I mean, we were taught by those people, to share, to be neighbourly and compassionate. They are the ones who rose up when the Tyrants of the World threatened our peace, our way of life, and they put their own lives on the line, so we could exist today, in a supposed Democracy.
They suffered, so we could have a better life, so why shouldn’t we care about how they live today? Should we really leave them to their own devices, because they believed the Government of the day, that CPP would make their old age comfortable?
I am almost 56 years old, and have nothing for my old age. Everything I ever had, is gone, trying to simply keep a roof over our head, of keeping Mom’s medications & needs satisfied. I have to split payments to Hydro, because I must wash daily, and use hot water. I have to make sure there is always money on hand, to buy depends, rubber gloves, tissues, laundry detergeant, to keep her infection in check. It doesn’t leave much for putting aside, and no, I can’t work an extra hour overtime either, because I have to be here, at home, not out in the work force.
For that effort, I get a Government who says food safety isn’t an issue. That the food industry is better suited at insuring tainted food doesn’t get to my table. I have a Government that says Grocery Stores can sell expired food, because well, they have to make a profit, and expired food isn’t really bad.
I have a Government who thinks it is okay to give businesses like Oil Companies tax breaks, while the price per litre is $1.28. Doesn’t matter that such a price means my food costs more, my rubber gloves will cost more, as will Mom’s prescriptions. Everything will cost more, but that is okay, if they get re-elected my Government will give Mom an extra $50 a month.
These old people, are someone’s Mother, Father. Maybe they have outlived their children, or maybe their children are too busy trying to keep their own family alive, and well. Maybe they are more interested in having a new car every few years, or getting a nice summer home on one of the islands, but whatever the reason, Seniors are struggling to just stay alive.
Governments who give Private Business the job of caring for our Seniors, without any protection is the norm, not the rarity. We no longer protect our society, from greed, from incompetence. Instead we care more about Corporate Profits, about how many fancy new toys we have, than whether a woman of 94 can afford prescription cream for her yeast infection, because Pharmacare won’t cover it.
We care more about getting designer cloths, about having name brand scents, than we do if a 93 year old gets a home support worker that speaks English, or is even knowledgable in how to just help her out of bed.
That is what our society has become, one of uncaring selfishness. We care more for how much money Business can make, irrespective of how it gets that added Profit. We have a Government who would rather give Corporations tax breaks, tax cuts, to ship our high paying jobs overseas, while spending Billions on new fighter jets, just so they can say they are behind National Security.
I don’t think this is really how Canadians want our society to be remembered, when we are all long gone and decayed.
I guess that is why I will keep on saying it, Anyone But Harper. Maybe one day enough will wake up, will listen, and who knows, maybe along the way we will find that caring about others, has a much better reward, than a tax cut in five years.