The Ministries of Interior and Social Affairs: A Call to Action!

A nation’s worth can be judged by how they treat the weakest members of their society because it shows whether they are willing to stand up and fight for those in need or hide behind flimsy excuses. If that was an indication for a great nation, then Lebanon has failed in affording even the mediocracy of common decency for their most vulnerable citizens: the elderly.

There are no provisions made for the welfare of the elderly citizens. There is no pension system for them to maintain their independence and dignity in their twilight years. Those who are retired government employees are the only ones given a measly pension that is not enough to pay for their housing and medication. They are often forced to live with relatives who might cheat them out of their pensions. Recently, the Ministry of Public Health passed a bill to give the elderly free medical attention, but the actual funding and implementation haven’t been worked through. But what happens to those who have been kicked out of the bosoms of their families?

Look around and take a good look at what could be the future of every one of us. You can find elderly men and women toiling under the heat of the sun and the bitter cold of the wind to beg for a crumb to eat. We even have hallmark examples to showcase our shame, for who can forget the sight of the old man who lived underneath the Cola Bridge for years until it finally became his tomb? The Zouk Mosbeh bridge now has its permanent resident; an old man bent by the gales of a life that stripped him of all shred of humanity and he is left forced to beg just to keep his heart beating.

Have we become so devoid of any shred of compassion? How can we casually look by when our elderly are left to roam the harsh streets clamoring for a pittance just to relive the same hell another day because as humans we are programmed to do whatever we can to survive? Whatever happened to revering and respecting our elders for their wisdom? Whatever happened to offering thanks for those who toiled night and day to raise us? And how will hide from our destiny when age catches up with us and we too are brought so low?

The twilight years are a time where our elders should live out the remainders of their days surrounded by loved ones. It is when they pass on their wisdom to their children and build a new relationship as adults who understand the struggles of life. It is not an age where they are stripped bare and exposed to harsh reality they fought their entire lives to keep us protected from.