I am currently enrolled in the bachelors programme for journalism at Beaconhouse National University. Recently, we were given an assignment to carry out a campaign to create awareness amongst the general public regarding old age homes. I believed myself to be aware to a certain extent of this issue. I assumed that there was no such trend in Pakistan since it was not really a part of our culture. I was mistaken. A trend has started to develop, whether we’ve been influenced by the western society or whether the level of tolerance has decreased amongst this generation towards the elderly, which is eye opening. Our generation is too impatient, always in a hurry. Always looking for the easy, convenient solution to problems because we consider ourselves too busy to care about ‘little’ things. Our privacy is everything to us.
It’s quite sad what we see happening around us, whether it is parents or grandparents or other elderly relatives. Especially if it is parents; they raised us, held our hands and taught us how to walk, read and speak. They helped shape us into the people we are now. They stayed up nights for us, worked overtime so they could raise enough for college tuitions, took loans and did things we can’t even imagine. The least they deserve from us is respect. We should be able to respect them enough to not consider them a burden. Trying to repay them is impossible because of the countless and numerous things that they have done for us. The least we can do is take care of them when they’re sick, when they’re too tired to do anymore for us. Why consider them a burden when there is so much to learn from them? They have a lifetime of knowledge that we can do nothing but learn from and endless love for us. They deserve better than to be dropped off at some place to be taken care of by complete strangers who are paid to do it.
Our campaign basically focused on spreading awareness and letting people from all different classes know about this social issue. We used mediums such as television, radio and social media to help get our message through. I sincerely hope our voice gets through to someone in any of the ways. At first it was just an assignment but now it’s become a cause we actually believe in.
REEM KARDAR
Lahore