From My Perspective - - -
The folk song expresses that – “The Old Grey Mare, Ain’t what she used to be – Many long years ago!” The picture is of a horse – head drooped, sway backed, gait unsteady – the old grey mare…! What should be done to/for The Old Grey Mare? There seems to be only two choices – let her roam in the pasture freely, or have her put down (sent to a glue factory for processing). The process at the Glue Factory that occurs is: “(the) …prolonged boiling of animal connective tissue. These protein colloid glues are formed through hydrolysis of the collagen from skins, bones, tendons, and other tissues, similar to gelatin. These proteins form a molecular bond with the glued object. Stereotypically, the animal in question is a horse, and horses that are put down are often said to have been sent to the glue factory.” The product was popular for woodworking prior to synthetic glues being developed. It could be argued that even in death the remains of The Old Grey Mare were useful.
Applying “The Old Grey Mare” to human life and plans for The Aging population: In October 2009, Business Specialties Investment had an item entitled: “The Graying of America: Age and Opportunity.” They wrote: “America is getting older. According to current-year estimates from Nielsen Claritas, the 55-and-over crowd now represents 74 million people, or 24 percent of the total U.S. population. Considering the sheer size of this group and the wealth they control, life in an aging world must be seriously considered. Unlike our culture’s obsession with the youth over the past 50 years, our future will be based on the interests of older people. According to the U.S. Census, 2037 will be our oldest year, with nearly 30 percent of households being headed by a person over 65. Forty-eight percent will be single-person households…What opportunities does an aging population offer? The market’s clear demand for retirement housing is the primary beneficiary. Why? Economic cycles have little or no effect on the natural aging process and the healthcare needs they represent. Demand for hospitals and conveniently located medical facilities will continue to increase. The demand for affordable seniors housing, particularly in ethnic communities currently under-served, is already a reality. Since the facts support that The Graying of America is a dramatic demographic mega-trend shaping our landscape, serious investors can’t afford not to consider the impact seniors will have on future real estate needs. Working with changing demographic trends, rather than against them, is the best way to reduce investment risk--and likely enhance returns…” One is forced to muse – is this the general sentiment of the American government toward the aging in the nation? Or – have the aged become too much of a liability for a nation whose bent is for redistribution of wealth and benefits, etc.?
In a broader view, is there a distinction that can be made in The Aging Process between knowledge and wisdom? Is senility, dementia, Alzheimer’s, and general forgetfulness inevitable? Is the older person to be relegated to a Nursing Home (pasture) or a worse fate – “Put Down” (euthanasia)? Is there a possibility that in the tendencies of youth there is a loss in perspective of the value of wisdom attained over the years versus the knowledge that is intellectually acquired? In Leviticus 19:32, the Lord says: “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.” Another translation (NLT) states: “Show your fear of God by standing up in the presence of elderly people and showing respect for the aged. I am the Lord.” Solomon wrote in Proverbs 23:22, “Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.” In Jeremiah’s lament – Lamentations 5:11-17 – because of rebellion against the Lord, and embracing of sin, we read: “Our enemies rape the women and young girls…Our princes are being hanged by their thumbs, and THE OLD MEN ARE TREATED WITH CONTEMPT. The young men are led away to work at millstones, and the children stagger under heavy loads of wood. THE OLD MEN NO LONGER SIT IN THE CITY GATES (the place of wisdom); the young men no longer dance and sing. The joy of our hearts has ended; our dancing has turned to mourning. The garlands have fallen from our heads. Disaster has fallen upon us because we have sinned. Our hearts are sick and weary, and our eyes grow dim with tears.” Our nation may be well down a similar road – is it too late for it to reverse its coarse? Consider these things with me!
The folk song expresses that – “The Old Grey Mare, Ain’t what she used to be – Many long years ago!” The picture is of a horse – head drooped, sway backed, gait unsteady – the old grey mare…! What should be done to/for The Old Grey Mare? There seems to be only two choices – let her roam in the pasture freely, or have her put down (sent to a glue factory for processing). The process at the Glue Factory that occurs is: “(the) …prolonged boiling of animal connective tissue. These protein colloid glues are formed through hydrolysis of the collagen from skins, bones, tendons, and other tissues, similar to gelatin. These proteins form a molecular bond with the glued object. Stereotypically, the animal in question is a horse, and horses that are put down are often said to have been sent to the glue factory.” The product was popular for woodworking prior to synthetic glues being developed. It could be argued that even in death the remains of The Old Grey Mare were useful.
Applying “The Old Grey Mare” to human life and plans for The Aging population: In October 2009, Business Specialties Investment had an item entitled: “The Graying of America: Age and Opportunity.” They wrote: “America is getting older. According to current-year estimates from Nielsen Claritas, the 55-and-over crowd now represents 74 million people, or 24 percent of the total U.S. population. Considering the sheer size of this group and the wealth they control, life in an aging world must be seriously considered. Unlike our culture’s obsession with the youth over the past 50 years, our future will be based on the interests of older people. According to the U.S. Census, 2037 will be our oldest year, with nearly 30 percent of households being headed by a person over 65. Forty-eight percent will be single-person households…What opportunities does an aging population offer? The market’s clear demand for retirement housing is the primary beneficiary. Why? Economic cycles have little or no effect on the natural aging process and the healthcare needs they represent. Demand for hospitals and conveniently located medical facilities will continue to increase. The demand for affordable seniors housing, particularly in ethnic communities currently under-served, is already a reality. Since the facts support that The Graying of America is a dramatic demographic mega-trend shaping our landscape, serious investors can’t afford not to consider the impact seniors will have on future real estate needs. Working with changing demographic trends, rather than against them, is the best way to reduce investment risk--and likely enhance returns…” One is forced to muse – is this the general sentiment of the American government toward the aging in the nation? Or – have the aged become too much of a liability for a nation whose bent is for redistribution of wealth and benefits, etc.?
In a broader view, is there a distinction that can be made in The Aging Process between knowledge and wisdom? Is senility, dementia, Alzheimer’s, and general forgetfulness inevitable? Is the older person to be relegated to a Nursing Home (pasture) or a worse fate – “Put Down” (euthanasia)? Is there a possibility that in the tendencies of youth there is a loss in perspective of the value of wisdom attained over the years versus the knowledge that is intellectually acquired? In Leviticus 19:32, the Lord says: “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.” Another translation (NLT) states: “Show your fear of God by standing up in the presence of elderly people and showing respect for the aged. I am the Lord.” Solomon wrote in Proverbs 23:22, “Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.” In Jeremiah’s lament – Lamentations 5:11-17 – because of rebellion against the Lord, and embracing of sin, we read: “Our enemies rape the women and young girls…Our princes are being hanged by their thumbs, and THE OLD MEN ARE TREATED WITH CONTEMPT. The young men are led away to work at millstones, and the children stagger under heavy loads of wood. THE OLD MEN NO LONGER SIT IN THE CITY GATES (the place of wisdom); the young men no longer dance and sing. The joy of our hearts has ended; our dancing has turned to mourning. The garlands have fallen from our heads. Disaster has fallen upon us because we have sinned. Our hearts are sick and weary, and our eyes grow dim with tears.” Our nation may be well down a similar road – is it too late for it to reverse its coarse? Consider these things with me!
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