As Rita Levi-Montalcini said, the important thing is not just to add years, but to give life to those years. And it is a great pity to see how, as time goes by, our elders are left aside, as if they had nothing more to offer. The sad look of a recluse old man is the same as that of a child in an orphanage: lifeless, without desire. It is true that as one gets older, vulnerability arrives, but it is not fair that, just for adding years, we lose the right to live with dignity and joy.
The easy thing is to put them in places, control them and take away their opportunity to be autonomous, leaving them in places where the light of life goes out, as if they had nothing more to contribute. And sometimes, when one enters these places, it seems that they speak to them as if they were deaf or as if they did not understand anything, exaggerating everything so much that it is even a pity. These attitudes are not only unnecessary, but dehumanizing. The less they move, the more dependent they become, and thus a vicious circle of isolation is generated. For this reason, we must encourage them to continue moving, to continue being part of society, so that each year they live they do so with dignity and meaning.
Here also comes what Arantxa Urretabizkaia said, who has been clear about the invisibility of the elderly, especially women. Many elderly people, especially women, feel left out just for getting older, as if they have no place. Urretabizkaia rejects this idea of "disappearing" for the mere fact of being older, and affirms that old age should not be synonymous with losing relevance, but a stage full of wisdom and experience that contributes a lot to society.
Our elders are not a burden, they should not be set aside, they are a fundamental pillar with all the wisdom they have accumulated over the years. And I am not only referring to the elderly in general, but also to those teachers who do not retire, who continue to give their best, who continue to teach with their wise gaze and infinite patience.
As a teacher, I wish I could have the strength to continue adding all that wisdom and continue transmitting it for many more years. But the important thing is to know that a nursing home is not the solution. It is not about leaving our elders aside, but about encouraging them, helping them to feel useful and to continue being an active part of society. The years they gain should be lived with joy and purpose. And let's not forget that they taught us, that they were patient with us, and dried
our tears when we were little. They would never abandon us. Now it is our turn to return that affection, that respect and that gratitude.
Our duty should be to care for and honor those who have made possible what we are today.
As Benito Pérez Galdós said: "The old are the ones who have more reasons to be happy, because they carry in their soul the memories of what they were and what they did." Our elders have a whole world of experiences that deserve to be respected and valued, not set aside. And that legacy they leave us is more than enough to continue learning from them every day.
Think, for example, of the green mountains of La Gomera, the winds that cross the peaks of La Palma, the sun that sets over the sea of Tenerife, the sunsets of Lanzarote, the volcanic landscape of Fuerteventura, the calm of El Hierro, the waves of Gran Canaria, or the beautiful beaches of La Graciosa. Each island has its magic, and our elders are like those islands: with history, with wisdom, and above all, with a lot of love. They are the soul of our land, always present, with everything they have given us, and with everything they can still give us.
Juani Alemán Hernández.