“Being old is a gift.”
It’s such a profound statement.
And I heard it in a movie that was anything but serious.
Danny DeVito says it with remarkable gravitas after an unexpected experience inside a video game.
Before that, getting old was something he complained about. Anger, frustration, and the feeling of being left behind.
And he isn’t alone.
I’ve seen enough elderly people experience the same frustration.
When the World Moves Faster Than You
Think about how much everyday life has changed.
Going to the market for groceries has become ordering through an app. Calling the sabjiwala, plumber or carpenter has become scrolling through a service platform.
Updating a passbook has become online banking. Paying an electricity bill no longer means standing in a queue.
These may seem like conveniences to us.
But for someone who grew up doing things differently, they can create something deeper than inconvenience.
A sense of displacement.
The small, mundane activities that once gave structure to everyday life have changed. And suddenly, years of knowledge and experience can feel redundant.
What can I teach the younger generation when the world I knew barely exists anymore?
What can I contribute when I need help navigating the simplest things?
Helplessness can quietly turn into dependency.
Retirement Doesn’t Mean Incapability
But perhaps this is where we need to change the conversation around ageing.
Retirement is from a job. It isn’t retirement from thinking, learning, creating or contributing.
Someone may have retired from a formal career, but that doesn’t mean they have retired from their ability to solve problems, make decisions, organise people, or learn something new.
Many older adults remain remarkably active even after their official ‘retirement’.
Some travel. Some learn new hobbies. Some volunteer. Some mentor younger people. Some run community programmes.
Some simply continue doing the things they love with a little more time on their hands.
They may need help navigating through those unavoidable apps. But that doesn’t mean they need help deciding what to do with their lives.
Technology may have changed the tools. It hasn’t erased their capabilities.
Consider Robert De Niro’s character in The Intern.
At 70, he joins a young clothing start-up as an intern. His technology skills may not match those around him, but his experience makes him someone others turn to.
The Beginning Of The Second Innings
Because experience doesn’t disappear when technology changes.
- Communication.
- People management.
- Organisation.
- Time management.
- Patience.
- Judgement.
These skills existed long before smartphones and apps.
A friend’s father, who had retired decades ago, was called upon to give his inputs when the bank was redoing their app because they wanted to find out about customer requirements.
And who better to give the inputs than someone who’s spent years connecting with the customers? Not over the phone or through mails, but actually meeting them in person.
With lesser responsibilities and more experience, the elderly are raring to go and experiment. Many want to catch up with life before it gets too late.
And there are so many ways to turn that experience into contribution.
- Teach traditional recipes so culinary traditions don’t disappear.
- Teach children languages, stories, crafts or practical skills.
- Mentor younger professionals.
- Organise community programmes.
- Lead social awareness initiatives.
- Share professional knowledge with those just starting out.
The point isn’t to keep older people busy.
It is to help them remain connected to their sense of usefulness.
Ageing may change what a person can do. It doesn’t erase what they can give.
Perhaps that’s what makes old age a gift.
Not because it is easy. But because it comes with something younger generations simply don’t have yet:
A lifetime of experience waiting to be put to use.
