The Greying of the World

— by Keith Carey

I am writing this article at a time when American President George W. Bush is trying to overhaul our Social Security system, America's effort to provide for the financial needs of the elderly. One of the reasons he believes that social security needs change is that we are at a point in our history when more people are living to an older age. The idea is that every working person pays into a government-run system to help the elderly. Then, when they reach retirement age they can rely on the younger generation to pay into the same system to provide for their needs.

Normally I do not discuss American matters in the GPD because Americans are only a small percentage of our readers. But the Social Security crisis in America reflects a worldwide situation.

In the past, high levels of fertility and a low life expectancy meant that the elderly were few in number and there were many younger relatives to care for them. According to an article by anthropologist Vinay Kumar Srivastava, life expectancy has risen in the last 50 years thanks to better nutrition, advances in health care, medical breakthroughs, and better sanitation. Today, the average worldwide life expectancy is 65. The result has been a population explosion for the elderly. An article published in the BBC News on Aug. 2, 2001 suggests that the proportion of people above age 60 will increase from it's current level of 10 percent to about 22 percent in 2050. By the end of the 21st century, those over 60 will be about 34 percent.

East Asia
East Asia, provides the best example of this percentage change. That is a region that has traditionally had a high fertility rate. According to another BBC News article dated April 10, 2002, "Fourteen countries in Asia have fertility rates below the 'replacement level'"-the average number of children required to replace those who die, the experts told a seminar in Singapore. This means there will be more dependent elderly with fewer children to look after them and a smaller workforce to pay for the care they need. The elderly population has already overtaken the younger generation in Japan and will do so by 2020 in Singapore and 2035 in China, according to Bhakta Gubhaju of the United Nation's Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

East Asian religions have set high standards for the care of aging parents. Confucianist beliefs include parental control, obedience and respect for elders, filial piety, and caring for elderly parents. Traditionally, the care of aging parents was the duty of the oldest son and his wife. Children took pride in caring for their parents.

These ideals will be extremely difficult for East Asians to fulfill in the coming decades. Japan has the highest life expectancy, and children are becoming increasingly scarce. In both Japan and China, the elderly are likely to remain in rural areas for different reasons. In Japan, it would be difficult for the elderly to live in cramped urban dwellings. In China, the working generations usually go to the cities to earn a living and send money back to the countryside where their elders are taking care of the children, according to a December 21, 2004 article in the New York Times. In a strange twist of events, the Japanese, who lead the world in the area of robotics, are creating robotic dolls to keep their elderly relatives company, according to an April, 2005 article in BBC News.

In Korea, the family is extremely important. The Book of Rites outlines that Koreans must respect parents, bring no dishonor to parents and family, and take good care of their aging parents. Children provide financial support and health care needs for their parents. Because of rapid industrialization and urbanization, the younger generation may be less inclined to live up to these traditional roles, so the Korean government is passing laws for the welfare of the elderly. The purpose of some of these laws is to provide for health services for the aged. This may become more important in the future as the older generation increasingly lives apart from their children.

South Asian Hindus
In Hindu culture, the ideal is that senior citizens are the progenitors of spiritual teaching in the family. Thus there is a spiritual relationship between the generations that leads to reverence and respect for the aged. For example, The younger generations show their respect by standing up when an elder enters the room.

Hindus view looking after aging parents as punya, or earning merit for the afterlife. Old age is regarded as a time of "rightful dependency," with the support of the extended family, especially adult sons. The elderly remain active by offering advice to their juniors, arranging marriages and controlling the family finances. Elders are respected for their wisdom in traditional Hindu society.

Anthropologist Vinay Kumar Srivastava notes that Hindus, even in rural areas, often fail to live up to these ideals. He wrote that in an Indian village which he studied, elderly members of families were sternly scolded for not performing household tasks well. Their juniors would not listen to them when they spoke. Those who were bed ridden were cursed for their predicament, which, they thought, came from bad karma. As for the spiritual merits of the elderly, Srivastava believes that the Hindu concept of renunciation, or separating oneself for a spiritual quest, is often used as a way to keep the elderly from the daily affairs of the rest of the family.

Islam
Such an attitude as that of the Hindus would have been contrary to Mohammed's teaching. "May his nose be rubbed in the dust!" When asked whom he meant by this, Mohammed said "The one who sees his parents, one or both, during their old age but does not enter Paradise by doing good to them." The Koran says in 17:23-24, "Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them but address them in terms of honor."

In the Medical Network website, Sangeeta Dhami and Aziz Sheikh wrote, "On joining the Muslim community I was quite astonished that so much emphasis was put on my relationship with my parents. …It is actually viewed as a gift from Allah if one has the opportunity to attend to the needs of one's parents in their latter years." In another website called, "Dying and Death: Islamic View" the author said, "When members of the family, neighbors, or friend's circle grow old, they are looked upon as valuable members to whom you can turn for advice and council. When they become ill, or they lose their ability to care for themselves, they are surrounded by a younger and more able generation who take the responsibility of care for them. Care is provided with love and courtesy so as to make them feel wanted."

In Islamic cultures, age brings authority, honor and respect. One's status increases with age. As in the East Asian context, aging parents live with the eldest son and his family. One sociological study done in 1981 noted that senility is rare in Muslim cultures. Yet it does happen. The only sermon this author has ever heard from a Muslim imam dealt with caring for aging parents. He exhorted his listeners to "show them patience, just as they showed you patience when you were young."

Judaism and Christianity
Honoring your mother and father is so important to the God of Israel that it is the first of the 10 Commandments that deal with inter-personal relationships. To "honor" means to respect or esteem. In Gen. 9, Ham learned the hard way about violating this commandment when he was cursed for his blatant disrespect for his father, Noah. Gen. 49 recounts the patriarch Jacob's blessings and curses of his sons. A father's word was indeed very powerful in the early days of the faith!

"If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever" (I Tim. 5:8, NIV). Strong words, indeed! Paul said this after offering practical exhortations regarding how to show proper respect. "Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father.… Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God (1 Tim. 5:1-4). "Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord" (Lev. 19:32).

The Power of Culture
We have seen how all the major religions, whatever their false teachings, show respect for the aged and provide for old parents who are unable to care for themselves. But how do people care for elderly parents in an urban industrial world? In the West, children usually delegate this to retirement homes where there are health care professionals. These professionals can take care of elderly people's physical needs better than family members, but they cannot meet emotional needs like the family. For this reason, Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims often find the idea of putting their parents in a retirement home revolting.

Many of these differences lie in culture. In the "Christian" West, independence is a high value. It is very important for both children and elderly parents to be able to maintain their independence, whereas in the developing world, there is a much greater sense of interdependence. Members of a family are all part of one another. Just as the parents cared for the children, so the children should care for their parents when they need it. In Eastern cultures, children are viewed as an extension of their parents. Such thinking makes it extremely difficult for members of a family to accept Christ without family support.

Throughout this month, you will see snapshots of various unreached people groups and the issues faced by their elders. As you pray, remember that the elderly among the unreached Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and animistic peoples are especially hard to reach. Studies have shown that most people come to Christ at a young age. It is very rare for someone to accept Christ in their later years. Secondly, there are additional pressures to cause conformity in non-Western cultures. A Hindu who puts his faith in Christ is seen as someone who may lose all his good karma that would otherwise provide him with a better afterlife. A Muslim would be considered by others as an apostate, worthy of being ostracized or even killed. The pressure to remain in a religious system that keeps them away from Christ is very strong. Yet, because of the higher status of an elderly person, if they did put their faith in Christ, they would have much influence among the younger generations.

Pray for God to do the impossible among the elderly members of unreached people groups.