elderly – Dovestar

April 26, 2023

To the young, I say take the risks when you can, they may pay off in the future.

Somedays I just sit here and reminisce about my younger years, the passion I once had, the dreams I had, and how time has eroded most of that away. I look back and see how many opportunities I let slip by me and the results of missing those opportunities affect my current life. Too many what-ifs plague my mind at times and that takes away from my ability to make better choices in the present moment. Though I am aging and am slowed down physically due to some poor choices I have made, I still try to continue on this path before me.

To the young, I say take the risks when you can, they may pay off in the future. Live in the moment but remember to prepare for the future ahead of you. Shrug off any fear you may have, it only holds you back and keeps you from moving forward and possibly keeps you from the gifts laying before you. It is far better to try and fail than to regret never trying later on in life, and most of all plan for retirement from the very start.

Life is not as long as you think it is when you are young, it will pass you by in a flash and you will find yourself wishing you had done far more while you were young and able. Also, the older you get the less people seem to respect you or care about your well-being it seems. Unfortunately, this world is too indifferent toward the needs and wants of the older population. Too many see older people as disposable and rather turn a blind eye to them and their issues than care for and celebrate them and their life and contributions to the world we now live in.

Do not let life pass you by and leave you on the roadside like litter, plan and be prepared for the so-called golden years ahead of you. They will sneak up on you way faster than you could possibly imagine. Have compassion for those who were blessed enough to make it to the later years of life and respect them as well. The older generation happens to be the people who helped build the world you live in today.

Ray Barbier

April 24, 2023

In ancient times the elders of the tribe were celebrated

In ancient times the elders of the tribe were celebrated and looked upon as wise counselors and leaders. They Told stories of old times, advised the young when called upon, and kept the tribe safe. The Tribe would make sure the elders always had adequate food and shelter and loved them as they should.

Unfortunately, in modern times elders are looked upon as burdens, relics of the past, and disposable. Elder generations starve themselves in order to pay for medications needed to keep themselves alive and to pay rent so that they can have a place to rest their head. Grown children place their parents in rest homes that gladly take the money from social security and barely take care of the elderly in their care.

A Government that sees the elderly as a financial burden on the system and seeks a way to eventually sunset social security and Medicare in the name of fiscal responsibility. I find it so funny how it is bad to spend money to help the elderly and poor but so acceptable if not celebrated to spend money on things that benefit the wealthy and big business.

Considering that a senator can serve one term and get a retirement that is quite above what one would get from social security working their whole life, I guess I can see how they care very little about social security since their own retirement is so secure. Really sad how modern society and the government view and treat our elderly. Everyone deserves to be respected, and everyone deserves an income that is livable.

We need to learn from our history and remember the importance of our elders and all others in the tribe of humanity. People need to vote out those who do not do their job in representing all people in the state they represent and vote for better candidates. Families need to revere the elders and when they have no choice but to put the elderly in rest homes, they need to make sure the rest home is doing the job they are supposed to do.

So much is broken in our modern world, and so much is overlooked and allowed to go on without any oversight or consequences. Too much is lost in the rhetoric of politics and the war for the best ratings in news agencies. So much is lost in the name of popularism and profit, and so many people are forgotten as well.

Do not let your parents, grandparents, and elders in your community be left behind and treated like they are disposable. One day it may be you who are the elder person being cast aside and forgotten. So what you do today to protect the elderly will one day protect you as you age.

Ray Barbier

#elderly #congress

November 7, 2022

Dovestar’s Ramblings on 11-7-22

History shows us there always was a small percentage that was in power and possessed the majority of the wealth. Regardless of the type of political system, there were always a few that had and the rest that struggled to have or had not. Even Communism and Socialism fell into that problem, in theory, those two types of governing sounded good, but those on top hoarded the money and lived in luxury as those they governed lived a meager and sometimes very impoverished existence. And to maintain that power and privilege those in power use force and fear to keep the common citizens in control.

This happens in all political systems to one degree or another, be it in the governing body or through the power of the rich merchants and business leaders. It has been a battle between those in power and the common citizens for centuries. Even democracy has fallen prey to the wealthy and powerful in multiple ways. The problem lies in the human condition, the desire for power and wealth, and the fear of losing those things. There is also the fact those who are wealthy lose touch with how it is on the bottom of the financial ladder, how it is to live from paycheck to paycheck or be faced with the choice of getting food or medicine etc.

It is sad to see profits being a higher priority and wealth as more important than those people who are starving, living in the streets and struggling to survive. Also a shame when you see so many who want to sunset social security and medicare when it was paid into by those on it all their lives. Those in retirement where the ones that worked to maintain the level of life the rich enjoy and voted all those politicians into office. Elderly people are not disposable, they should be respected and looked to for the wisdom they possess and many of us have either forgotten or never learned.

The wealth divide is growing ever wider and there is very little hope to be seen at this point in history. Both democrats and republicans need to put thier rhetoric aside and start representing all the people not just a portin of their base. Time to stop the partisan bull hockey and reach across the isle and come up with real solutions that both sides can benifit from. Right now those that are representing us citizens are acting somewhat immature and seem set on dividing the nation instead of doing thier actual jobs.

We The People is meant to be all of us not just one political party or the other or just some obscure percentage. If things dont change soon we will be the divided states of america and what we once known as a democratic republic may be gone. Both political parties are to blame in one fashion or another. The greatest threat to our democracy is not which party is in power but how they goveren and if they serve us the people or their own agendas. Something to think about when you go out to vote tuesday!

Blessings to all

Ray Barbier