Just an Observation

I was in a group of men the other day at a course I am attending through UNOH, when the facilitator of the group asked an interesting ice breaker question. It went something along the lines of this - what do you think of old people, and at what age is a person considered old ?

The responses to both these questions were pretty much the same. Fortunately there was no comments on geriatric driving skills, or whining about young people today. Everyone generally said they had respect for old people, that they had lessons they could teach us if only we listened etc.

The interesting part came when people answered how old old was - everyone answered "You are only as old as you feel" or something along those lines. I don't know if its just me, or do those 2 answers seem to contradict each other. Obviously if we have respect for old people then getting old must be an ok thing to do - but we don't want to admit we are getting old & that's where comments like "your only as old as you feel" come from. So we still have a fear of getting old or want to avoid it.

Is this fear due to our mortality, or do we truly see old people as a nuisance or having no value?

If its due to our mortality then, that is a fear that as Christians we need to get over - because our mortality is not really a problem in the greater scheme of things.

If it is because we see old people as having no value then no amount of trite P.C. answers is going to cover up how we really feel and we will never learn from our elders, the mistakes and successes of the past!!!

It makes you wonder about P.C attitudes... Are they just a way of covering up our true feelings, to make sure we fit in with the rest of society and don't offend anyone? Are we lying when we sprout all the various trite answers people expect of us? Does this sort of issue stop us, as Christians, being a voice in the wilderness? (obviously at this point I am thinking beyond the old age issue...)

There are some really great views on life that would be regarded as P.C. but there are some really damaging P.C. outlooks as well - in fact sometimes the same P.C issue can have a positive or negative aspect to it depending on what definition you give it (like religious tolerance)..

But if we are running around covering up our true feelings in the name of political correctness, have we not become hypocrites or possibly impotent -

as Christians as we called to be sunshine & lollypops?

• never offending,
• never resisting,
• never standing up for what is right?

Is this a misguided view of God's love?

But having said that...

• When do we stand up?
• When do we turn over the tables?
• When can we be a voice?

The prophets of the Old Testament were regarded as nutters by the people of Israel - often hated and persecuted sometimes ever killed - have we missed the point in being able to fit into society, in being loved by society, in having a live and let live mentality???