April 27, 2013

Two-thousand Rufiyaa to love our grandparents

I hear that children have begun loving their grandparents again! Digging on this further I find that it's the 2000 Rufiyaa that's making the difference. Those from whom I ferret out this information proudly expound the wisdom of this profound and creative national policy. Yes they say it has brought society together again. Now when grandchildren, most of whom unfortunately live no more under one roof with their grandparents visit the latter, they have sweets and stuff to offer the visiting kid, and has thus revived the now long lost bond. Isn't that a creative transformation?

It's good that such movements are happening and that the nation is playing sugar daddy for whatever good it will give us in the short term. But given the burdens of the long haul of nation-building, how far will such populist policies go I beg to ask. Our vision should not be stratified along five year intervals, but with the vision of our children's continuing future with grandparents as a necessary part of their and our social development. We don’t have to have 2000 Rufiyaa to invoke the love for our grandparents; it should be the result of a cared for childhood. The place to begin this is when we are young and snuggled in the warmth of our families -- not during a harsh adulthood when the selfishness of a competitive life militates against giving even to loved ones. And to think that 2000 rupees is the panacea is surely short-sighted. Being aware of the continuum of our lives will dawn on us that those rickety days will come for all of us one day.

Not forgetting that we will all grow old one day is to be blind to the reality of life. And celebrating the ploy of the State giving us to look after our grandparents is a shameful acceptance of our lack of love for those who took care of us when we ourselves were babes in the cradle. 
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