What our ancestors have taught us | Eye News,The Indian Express
Being elderly doesn’t mean being feeble or without hope
Sunday, Sep 25, 2022
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HomeEyeWhat our ancestors have taught us
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What our ancestors have taught us
Being elderly doesn’t mean being feeble or without hope
Written by Suvir Saran
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Updated: September 25, 2022 2:04:29 pm
Shared experiences, hobbies, interests and values connect us as human beings. (Credit: Suvir Saran)As we observe the 16-day period of remembrance of our ancestors in the Hindu calendar, I find myself remembering my own, with great pride and glee. Both sets of grandparents, my parents and their siblings, and the extended family from all four branches has made for a familial fraternity that has taught me through their example, through spoken words and deeds done, what it takes to live a life of respectful and respectable mindfulness.
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Nani, my maternal grandmom, and Bua and Phupaji, my paternal aunt and uncle, taught me about the rapidity with which respect multiplies. To earn the respect of others, they taught us kids, we have to give it in plentitude. In respecting others, we build the foundations of trust. These we can cull from, when broken by life in ways that only friendship and family can heal. Through their actions and generosity, Nani, Bua and Phupaji showed us the civilised face of civil society.
My dad, who had diabetes and was taken much too early from us at age 66, never complained about his lot. Even when his pain was at its height, he would remind us that there was always someone in a worse situation, someone else who needed support and care, who needed a smile. He showed us that when you give respect and compassion to others in need, you gain perspective and are able to come to peace with your own situation.
In the life I saw my father live and in how Nana, my maternal grandfather, lived his, I saw the power behind active listening. My father was far more involved in the act, and in return got a lot more traction with people, but both Nana and he left indelible impressions in the mindscape and psyche of all they interacted with. Their genuine concern, their desire to know the other, and their respect for one and all always shone bright and made the most delicate situations easier to handle and richer with the fruits of a successful exchange.
https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/what-our-ancestors-have-taught-us-8168014/
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