REMEMBER OUR SENIORS – Nefariuos James

I think this time we’re just going to get to the meat and potatoes of the topic. I think it’s very admirable to have celebrations of life for those that meant something to us. A way to honor their memory, their achievements, and their impact on others. To me, it’s a form of being able to say my last goodbye even though I will always keep those people in my memory.

There’s a saying I heard a long time ago that a person is not truly gone until their name is spoken for the very last time. I’m a firm believer in that. With that said, it is always a special thing to remember those who we have lost, but I think what we need to start doing is paying attention to those that we have. More often than not, I have witnessed many people sitting alone with no one paying any attention to their presence, and just consider them to be another fixture in either a local bar or at an event. These are the people that we need to pay attention to now while we still can.

Just sit with one of these people for ten minutes and hear the stories they have to tell of the experiences that they’ve been through with their life. I believe what those people say are the things we need to remember. Whether we agree or disagree with what they say, it’s still a wealth of knowledge that you cannot get from any book. Whether that person is a veteran, senior, or an old scooter tramp, you may be surprised how some of their stories may relate to something you may be going through now. Don’t forget these people while you have the chance to interact with them; you might be missing out on history and how things used to be done in the past. Don’t waste the opportunity to listen to first-hand experience. Online social media sites are filled with people full of BS. You can’t really interact face-to-face with electronic stupidity.

Could you imagine being one of these people and sitting alone wondering why you’ve been forgotten? Wondering why nobody cares enough to have a simple conversation with you? To wonder what you did wrong in your life to be treated like a third-class citizen? And I think worst of all is to sit alone and wonder why you’ve been forgotten. To wonder, what your lifewas really for and about.

I believe life is a combination of your memories and life experiences put together to create a collective that nobody can duplicate. People can come close or empathize with what you’ve been through but never have a thought on how you interpreted or lived it.

I hear motorcycle riders bragging all the time about how they are all about brotherhood and how they would not leave someone behind or forget them, yet they will leave people on the side of the road to be forgotten and not accounted for. I’m not saying that everyone who reads this falls into that category, but I know a large majority who do. They are either too busy with work, drama, or just plain old life. I find it very sad that we, as a society, let this happen. After all, these individuals, regardless of their station, helped to build this great nation. And to leave them on the side of the road with no help – no companionship – no friendship and no interaction with us, is a crime in itself.

Unfortunately, this mindset of forgetting others goes beyond that of our interaction with strangers. We do it with our own families as well. A lot of times, that senior, that veteran or others, are the glue that used to hold together whatever group or family unit they belong to. And once they’re gone, it’s visible how much of the cohesion of a group or family depended on that person. Unfortunately, when they’re gone, it’s too late.

Only we can fix this. It never hurts to say hello even if it’s in passing, to someone you don’t know or to reach out to that family member and let them know that at least they were thought of. Think for a minute what it would feel like to be left in a home or assisted living facility or even in your own dwelling, with nothing more than your photo albums of past friends that are no longer with you and your memories, left alone with your thoughts.

Try and reflect as to who some of these people were in our past. They were the hammer on the nails that helped build the homes that some of us still live in today. They were the firemen, policemen, and healthcare workers that saved many lives. They may have been people who had great influence on our country. They were the veterans who fought against incredible odds and in many conflicts around the world to help secure our democracy and way of life. They were the factory workers and industrial workers who helped to construct a lot of the machinery that we still use today to get things done. There are so many more accomplishments that I have not listed that these very people accomplished in their lives.

I know they say that the children of today are our future, but the seniors of our country are the past. Some say the past is the past and to let it go, but let’s not let these people go and be forgotten. Help restore their dignity and remind them that their accomplishments, no matter how small or insignificant they may be to others, are not forgotten. Give them back their dignity. Expand your mindset and let them know that we will not forget. That we will remember them. After all, this will be you one day. Think about that.

–Nefarious James