Life Lessons
Time’s Ballet
Embracing Lives in Aging Structures and Souls
I stand still on the top of my building; this is where I have been living since birth. In a couple of years, I'll be leaving this place to start a family of my own. Although I have my biological family, which means everything to me, I'll have to leave to expand the lineage to someone else.
When I stand on the top of my building, about 150 meters away, I see another structure standing in front of mine. All I see is something that has turned into ruins, a desolate structure surrounded by the mystery of a fractured facade.
I've heard narratives of a family that once occupied this space. During those days, it was the building by whose lights people used to indicate the path ahead, towards the vicinity and surroundings.
This building is older than my grandmother's age. It has witnessed the changing world and felt the wind and air in various patterns and movements.
When it was occupied, it was something one could easily own. Now, no one seems to care; they turn away in disdain.
Isn't this how the world is normally perceived? Everything that is useful remains so until it is no longer usable, and if not, it just exists, left like it's non-existent.
The family that left this place didn't leave it to be abandoned; it got abandoned by time. As time passed, people moved on with their lives, and slowly this place was left empty, with no one to take care of it.
Oh, maybe now I understand what's the mystery underneath the cracks of this abandoned yet unshakeable building. It has its cracks and is maybe left in the dark, but the truth is it's existing. Something that is existing is there to be brought back to life.
Or, I'd say, it's living with all the emptiness inside. We should not mind if it is usable or not anymore. It's the place that once gave space to a family, so now it's just old, not dead, but alive. It's still complete on its own, and it's not the end until it comes to an end on its own.
What my piece actually conveys other than just a building and its mystery?
As I stand on the top of my building, contemplating the passage of time and the imminent change in my life, I can’t help but draw a parallel to the abandoned structure I see in the distance. Just like this building, older than my grandmother’s age, our elderly loved ones often face neglect as they age.
The abandoned building, with its fractured facade and desolate appearance, mirrors the way we sometimes treat our seniors. Once useful and vibrant, they become overlooked and abandoned with the passage of time.
The stories I've heard about the family that once occupied that space resonate with the narratives of our own families. In their heyday, these places and people were guiding lights, providing direction and purpose. Yet, as time progresses, they are left in the shadows, forgotten.
This building, much like our elderly, has cracks and imperfections, but it's still existing. It may be left in the dark, but it's alive. Our elderly loved ones may not be as 'useful' in conventional terms, but they are whole on their own. They deserve our attention and care, not abandonment.
In our fast-paced world, we shouldn't discard the wisdom and richness of experience that our elders possess. Let us not mind if they are not as 'useable' in the conventional sense. They, like this building, are complete on their own, and their story continues until it comes to an end on its own.
