Today I learnt a salutary lesson.
I visited an old lady of 80 years of age. She has been very ill recently and age has had its toll … she walks very slowly with the aid of a stick. She can hardly move because of the pain … and just getting out of a chair is a Herculean task for her.
As she was shuffling from one room to another slowly I offered to help. She declined gently and said defiantly: I will not be trapped in my own body.
Those words are still ringing in my ears. Her brain is as sharp as ever but she is hindered by her body.
I remember reading somewhere that scientists can’t find a good reason why we age – i.e. why not just shut down and die. What is the purpose of a continuous and painful aging process?
I suppose God allows aging so that the rest of us can help those less able than ourselves. What do you think?
© Copyright V Moubarak 2008