Is it love or obligation?

Resigning one’s self into the senior years with the hope the children will be successful, offer you a lifetime of unending allowances, and meanwhile living off the retirement fund and buying a few lotto tickets on a regular basis hoping that you will hit the jackpot, is an exercise in futility.

In the course of my business, I have met so many people in their senior years, excited with life and optimistic with the future.

They have had years of accumulated experiences and wisdom, but they feel like there are still so many things they want to learn more. They are extremely productive.

I have a confession to make.

It won’t be long before I get my 20 percent VAT free discount card that would grant me dual citizenship, both “Filipino” and “Senior” category. I feel a tinge of guilt this early in life.

I feel like I am taking advantage over a wonderful system that seeks to help and aid those who cannot cope with the challenges of being a senior citizen.

The guilt I carry is that I am healthy and still very productive.

The Ilocana and I watch carefully what enters our mouths. We make sure we don’t sit for hours. We move and we exercise. We tell ourselves that for as long as God finds us useful, we want to be productive up to our last breath.

Age today is no longer just demographics, it is psychographics. Many people in their late 50s and way into their late 60s simply refuse to grow old. They are healthier, sharp, mentally alert and excited with life.

These are the people I love to hang around with. They are not stingy with their life lessons and are full of wisdom as well.

But then again there are the miserable old-timers…they are way into their senior years with nothing positive to say. Always complains about how life has treated them unfairly, how their children have grown up to be ingrates and their main hobby in life is to complain about their illnesses and diseases.

They seem to harbor the secret desire that in constantly harping about their misfortune, others would catch it too and understand them better. The miserable ones love company and they sure are good in recruiting members.

Our responsibility as parents is to provide for our young. Our personal responsibility is to save up for our senior years.

My responsibility to my parents is to honor and love them, and this act should not be out of a sense of “obligation,” but out of a sense of love.

I take care of my mother (my father has passed away and she’s been living with me for a few years now) not because I am obligated to, but because of the love I have for her.

Love is beyond mere feelings and emotions.

Love for me means obeying The Word of God and love The God of the Word. This results to a healthy sense of obedience to His command. Had this been an obligation on my part, then I would have set rules.

Do you think it would be right for me to demand that she only use four hours of air-condition time during summer and to not use it at all during the colder months? Do you think it would be proper for me to say that she is not allowed to eat more than three meals and two snacks in between every day unless she has my written approval? These are all obligations, aren’t they? I take care of her because I love her and love deals with unconditional affections.

Do not force kids to grow up and be obligated to provide for you in your senior years. Love them. Show your love and they will know how to respond in return.

Parents are to provide for their children. That’s what the Scriptures say. Children are to honor and love their parents.

This brings me to one more thing…be productive and refuse to grow old broke.

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