“Go! Go! Go!” the man yelled from behind me. “What’s going on? Move!” he screamed in French.
It had been a short 1 1/2 hour flight from Valencia, Spain to Paris, France. However, the plane had departed an hour late, resulting in a late arrival into Charles de Gaulle Airport.
“I have a bus to catch!” the man continued.
As our family was preparing to exit our row to leave the aircraft, an older gentleman stood up next to me. He had been seated in the row across from us.
The elderly man struggled to stand up after having his legs twisted and squashed in the economy section of the plane. He took his cane to begin his snail-like movement to the front of the aircraft.
“After You, Sir.”
I motioned to him to go ahead of us and helped him with his carry-on suitcase. It took some time.
“Go! Go! Go!” the man yelled from behind me. “What’s going on? Move!” he screamed in French.
I felt a rage rise up inside of me, and words full of anger and feelings of injustice gushed from my mouth.
“There is an old man with a cane here! Where is your respect for the elderly?!” I screamed back in French at the man in the crowd that formed the long line behind me.
“I have a bus to catch!” the man continued.
Too Busy to See
“Human beings are more important than your time schedule. I don’t care about your bus. I care about this old man,” I belted out. My piercing words, tone, and American accent echoed down the plane’s corridor.
I walked slowly behind the aged man with his cane. He was not from France. He was from a foreign land. He sat down at the front of the plane to rest and to wait for his wheelchair.
“Merci. Thank you,” he said kindly as he turned to me.
“You are welcome,” I said. “I’m sorry that there is no longer respect for the elderly in this world. There is no longer respect for human beings.”
In many places and cultures, our jam-packed schedules, our rushed time, our full agendas drive us. They distort our vision to where we can no longer see people. In many places in the world, we have become selfish, egotistical, and time-oriented. There is no regard for the fellow human. We are no longer people-oriented. We just don’t care about anyone besides ourselves.
We will even trample an old, crippled man with a cane to make it to our bus on time.
I exited the aircraft with David and Pierre and waited for Vincent to join us.
The angry, hurried man, running late to his bus, glared at me with contempt.
A mother and her teenage daughter smiled at me as they walked by and said, “You are right. What you said was right.”
Can You See the Old Man?
Thankfully, there are some people in the world who still see the human being. There are some who can still see clearly.
In many cultures of the world, the elderly are honored. They are valued, appreciated, and honored. Yes, honored.
In India, for example, “It is a tradition for youngsters to touch the feet of their elders, which is known as ‘a mark of love, and respect for them, and a request for their blessings’.”
Marie Claire
During our years in Morocco, I can recall how our local friends would kiss the hands of the elderly as a form of great respect. They would listen to them carefully and value their many years of experience and wisdom. The elderly would often live with their children and grandchildren in their homes until their dying days.
We have so much to learn from foreign cultures of the world. May we pay close attention.
A Guide on How the World Treats Their Elderly
How the Elderly are Treated Around the World
Our years in Morocco have deeply affected how we raise our children. We have tried to teach our kids to respect the human being—to respect the elderly.
Would You Give Up Your Seat?
While riding in the Paris metro recently, our family sat down in the crowded train. It was the lunch hour. A multitude of passengers entered at every stop, all standing to hold onto the security bars—due to the lack of seating.
An expectant mother entered the train. I tapped her on the shoulder and offered her my seat. She thanked me, but declined.
Next, an elderly couple walked through the sliding doors and grabbed the metal bars as the train slowly pulled out of the station. I watched with great joy and pride as Timothee stood up and offered his seat to the elderly woman. She thanked him and accepted.
There are still some people in the world who respect the human being—who respect the elderly. My own son is one of them.
A Guide on How the World Treats Their Elderly
How the Elderly are Treated Around the World
—The Cultural Story-Weaver
Let’s Weave Cultures!
How are the elderly viewed and treated in your part of the world—in your home culture or in other countries you have visited? How would you have responded to this situation in the airplane? Or in the metro—would you have given up your seat?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures”! Write about them in the comment box below.
