Change

Change is the only constant.  This has been borne out through the years.

Life consists of cycles that are repeated in this existence. The young grow into adults, marry, have children and grow old. In turn their off spring do the same.  However there are variations in these cycles.

Changes have come into play.  The head of the family works to prosper and builds a large home which he hopes will house his children even when they have grown into adults. Alas, things do not work out that way as his children probably work away from home and his big house stands silent and empty.

Some people grow old and hope that their children will welcome them and have them stay as they live out their old age. Unfortunately attitudes have changed.
 
Many adult children do not welcome their parents as live-ins. Lifestyle changes have seen to this.  Privacy is the most common reason cited for this perceived lack of caring. They are welcome for short visits but not on a permanent basis.

This has happened to many old people especially among Asian societies which in the past used to live together under one roof.  They now find themselves being shunted from place to place without any permanent abode. The indignity of it all apart from the hurt.

Perhaps it is time for retirement villages where the elderly can make their home among other elderly people, where they can find companions with similar interests. I have visited a retirement village in a western country.

The elderly live in units that cater for their needs. Within the units there are railings which they can hold on to for support as they walk and the surroundings are wheelchair friendly. Some units have small kitchens where able residents can cook simple meals for themselves if they wish to do so.  Call buttons are strategically placed so that they can call for assistance if there is a need. The retirement village has a doctor, trained nurses and other staff that care for those in need of medical care and supervision.

 There is a recreation center, a dining hall and lovely gardens. The units are of varying sizes and designs catering to different categories of the elderly. This development is not a high rise and in fact all units are on ground level.

The elderly purchase or rent the units using their retirement funds.  This kind of retirement village is a notch above the state-run old folks’ homes as there is a better standard of care and more privacy. The community is small enough to develop a sense of belonging and cosy comfort.

This provides an alternative to depending on your children when you are old.  Instead of leaving money and property to your children, use the money for yourself so that you can live out your days in a measure of comfort and maintain your dignity and independence.  There is nothing more saddening than to know that you are not welcome in your children’s home to live out your days.

Then again, you will not have your independence if you stay with them and you may have to put up with their moods. Relationships could sour. At worst, you could be made a general factotum of sorts when you were thinking of a leisurely existence!

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Malaysian Spring

When I passed by a roundabout in the upmarket suburb of Bangsar in Kuala Lumpur, I was taken aback by the many flags, banners and colorful little pennant like flags that overwhelmed it.

It was a battle royale of flags and banners, with the big ones trying to block out the pretty little red, white and blue ones planted in the middle of the roundabout and the little yellow and orange ones standing gallantly around the edge of its circumference.

Little did I know the story behind this clash until I received an email detailing its background.

The residents of Bangsar had planted their little flags in the colors of Pakatan ( the opposition party )and Bersih ( the NGO advocating clean and transparent elections ) dubbed as spring flowers in support of their local MP Nurrul Izzah Anwar.

However by afternoon, the pretty “spring flowers” had been “plucked” by the local authorities and confiscated. The residents came running out and following a confrontation, managed to rescue their spring flowers which they replanted.

The video shows the concerted efforts of the people of all colors and races as they sorted out the flags and replanted them in the roundabout.

The people’s action resulted in the retributive horrendous deluge of banners and huge flags of the BN which were put up to “drown” the pretty spring flowers in this Lembah Pantai constituency.

The action of the local authorities to arbitrarily remove the opposition party’s tiny flags was viewed with distaste and anger by the residents and the immediate retaliation by the BN ( ruling party ) putting up the huge flags and banners to block out the replanted spring flowers reveals the lengths to which it will go in order to snuff out the efforts of the people who are hoping for change. All’s fair in love and war but unfortunately this wasn’t the case here.

Well, action speaks louder than words and come polling day the people will speak through the ballot.

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