INTRODUCTION:

Most people occasionally ask themselves questions such as the following: Is there any purpose in life? Is there anything really worthwhile? Ordinary people ask themselves questions of this sort either in moods of despair - after a bereavement, the failure of long-term plans, a betrayel, the suffering of injustice or indifference, and so on - or in occasioned moods of reflection on their own lives or on the world about them. Doctors frequently encounter death and not simply the death of the old but of those who still had much to give when they were struck down; and they can see the misery which death brings to relatives and friends. Social workers encounter the wretchedness of those who are lonely, whose lives are being wasted because of some disadvantage of birth, physical, mental or social. Constant exposure to such situations inevitably generates in the reflective person questions about the meaning of life¹.

Humans are by nature meaning seeking and meaning making creatures. We are motivated to search for something of value and significance that makes life worth living in the midst of suffering. Old age has been termed as a period of losses. The losses are chiefly psychological, social and economic in nature. Poor health, economic dependence and non-working status tend to create amongst the aged a feeling of meaninglessness². Elderly people who have retired face meaninglessness. They suddenly feel like their lives have no meaning, they have become unnecessary in the eyes of the society to which they have given their blood, sweat and tears over the course of their lives³. Human life can be divided into two phases - the forenoon phase and the afternoon (Jung, 1933). If a person thought 80 years of longevity, up to 40 years would be the forenoon phase and thereafter the afternoon phase might start. The forenoon phase is important in human life, because it is the basement of life for education and one individual searches for food, shelter, clothing and sensory pleasure. This is the phase of earning for money making to satisfy oneself with above needs and demands. Individual human beings have to perform certain duties like marriages, rearing of family and social and citizenship responsibility. Comparing to the above, afternoon phase, i.e. middle age of life is the milestone for development of detachment. It indicates to restrict the limit of activities outside for earning and it warns to perform inside activity for personality development and spiritual development⁴.

In the traditional Indian society, the aged persons were given deference and they enjoyed position of authority. The traditional structure of mainly the Hindu society in India was a patriarchal system based on the institution of the joint-family. The family structure was patriarchal - the oldest male member controlled all social and economic affairs and, on the other hand, senior female member exercised authority in all household matters and influenced general matter as well. In a traditional Indian society, great honour and respect to older persons is given, as the Hindu scriptures proclaim: “Matra devo bhava, Pithru devo bhava.” This is not only the duty of children but also a sacrament for them to take care of their elders. Failing to pay back Pithru Rina (filial debt) would have dice consequences in after life⁵.

Indian society has been under the impact of rapid transformation. The position and status of senior citizen have been seriously undermined by factors such as changing values, growing individualism and rising aspirations for consumer goods as a result of education, urbanization, westernization, industrialization, lesser number of children due to acceptance of small family norm and hence, greater vulnerability in the matter of dependence, migration of younger members to cities for alternative source of livelihood, acute paucity of accommodation in urban areas and the exorbitant rents which act as a strong disincentive for bringing old parents to live with the children⁶.

Another aspect which badly affected the position of older people in society is female participation in economic activity either as a worker or as an entrepreneurs has increased considerably in the recent past in urban sector as well as in rural areas⁷. Such a situation has created a feeling of neglect, dependency, loneliness and meaninglessness among the older persons⁸. Sense of meaning in life is linked to regarding oneself as having a mission to carry out and to finding joy and happiness in life.

There are so many old people who are depressed because they feel that they no longer have any purpose in life. ‘I am useless’, ‘I am no good for anything now’, ‘My life is pointless’, - these are the stock phrases of old age which we get to hear so often and which all express the same frustrated desire to be allowed to live for somebody else or for something else. Such old people would like to feel that in their environment, in their circle, no matter how small and insignificant it may be, they count for something. Old people develop feelings of inferiority due to the deprivations which come with old age. Because of this they want to be acknowledged, they want to be made to feel that they are still needed and still useful. And often it takes very little to give an old person the feeling that he is still able to contribute to the lives of other people and to participate in their activities⁹.

DISCUSSION:

At every period of life man has specific psychic needs which must be satisfied if he is to preserve his psychic balance¹⁰. Erich Fromm had pointed out some needs, such as, need for rootedness, need for relatedness, need for transcendence and need for identity. Here I shall add another need for the elderly adults, need for support and security. The details of these needs are as follows:

1. NEED FOR ROOTEDNESS:

Man’s birth as man means the beginning of his emergence from his natural home, the beginning of the severance of his natural ties. Yet, this very severance is frightening if man looses his natural roots - his home and family members. He would stand alone, without a home; without roots; he could not bear the isolation and helplessness of his position.¹¹

2. NEED FOR RELATEDNESS:

Man does not live for himself alone or merely for his own advantage - he also wants to live for somebody else. He expects his actions to be accepted, acknowledged and reciprocated. Similarly, old people do not live for themselves alone. They also want to live for some other person and to devote themselves to some project¹². Man is by nature a social being. Whatever a man seeks has a necessary and inevitable reference to the judgement of other men, and the interest of society as a whole. Strip a man of his relations and you have no man left¹³. Relatedness to society, family, friends provide meaning to every human being.

3. NEED FOR SUPPORT AND SECURITY:

As Ward (1983) has indicated, when health deteriorates, it is family and friends who tend to provide care. The informal network is the ‘first resort’ and the primary source of assistance for seniors. The older a person becomes the more he has to turn to other people; he needs support. And in psychic matters too an aging person is bound to ask: where is my support?¹⁴. Support can take a variety of forms. For example, it can involve assistance with instrumental activities of daily living, such as housework, preparing meals, household maintenance, transportation, shopping and banking. Many elderly individuals have family or friends who assist in these matters. Emotional support is another area where assistance can be provided. Almost everyone requires companionship and intimacy. This is as true during old age as during the younger years¹⁵. The loving care lavished by the mother on her child in the very first weeks and months of its life is of crucial importance in determining its subsequent physical and psychic development. Thus, mother’s love is seen to be all important for the child and the mainstay of its life. This insight is also applicable to old age. When people come to the end of their days and a feeling of helplessness descends upon them, they also need to be supported¹⁶. Support and security provide meaning in old age.

4. NEED FOR TRANSCENDENCE:

Transcendence is a developmental process; Man’s seeking perfection is the sign of man’s urge for self-transcendence. Man is thrown into this world without his knowledge, consent or will, and he is removed from it again without his consent or will. In this respect, he is not different from the animal, from the plants or from inorganic matter. But being endowed with reason and imagination, he can not be content with the passive role of the creature, with the role of dice cast out of cup. He is driven by the urge to transcend the role of the creature, accidentalness and passivity of his existence, by becoming a “creator”¹⁷. After the age of fifty there is a natural tendency towards deterioration both of body and mind. This should be resisted. The elderly needs stimulation from outside sources, particularly in the mental sphere. The more time an old person devotes to self-pity, the more miserable he becomes and the less he can adapt himself to current conditions. The vital need is to seek new interests and new friends to fill the place of the old ones. Taking part in welfare activities, going to public meetings, lectures, social gatherings can all be stimulating to an elderly person¹⁸.

5. NEED FOR IDENTITY:

Loss of economic independence and physical vigour and the affliction by various types of degenerative disease change an elderly person from an independent self-supporting individual to one who needs help from his children and other family members and also from the society in general¹⁹. An elderly adult, suddenly, becomes a ‘dependent’ from a ‘provider’, just after his/her retirement. This transformation brings rolelessness, loss of identity, thus depression. Now-a-days, some senior citizens manage to engage themselves in social-work, community welfare programmes, NGO activities. As a result, these elder adults stay happy, they can find meaning in life even after the age of 60.

CONCLUSION:

Man lives in two environments, the natural and the social. Nature around us, with its starry heavens, with its rivers, mountains, trees, houses, tables and chairs, constitutes the first environment in which we conduct our lives; man exploits this environment for his purposes. But the second environment, in which human life is cast, without which human life will become elementary in its proportions, is the social environment, constituted of other human beings. This is an essential environment for the growth of the human spirit. Take a man away from society, he will become like Ramu, the wolfboy of Lucknow; he will not grow into a human personality for want of conscious participation in the social environment²⁰. The third environment in which man lives, namely, his inner environment, the world of his inner life. Nourishment of his inner life is achieved through the spirit of dedication and service with which he inspires his outer life and action, which the becomes transformed into yoga, which achieves the double efficiency of social welfare, through productive labour outside and spiritual welfare, through the inward spiritual attitude of dedication and service²¹. Nourishment of inner life is possible in old age. Carl Jung in his book, Modern Man in search of a Soul mentions, “Forenoon of life has one objective. Afternoon of life has another objective. Don’t carry the forenoon into the afternoon.” By the word ‘Forenoon’ is meant how to get established in the world, earn money, raise a family, enjoy the delights of life and get a good name in society. That is called ‘forenoon’. Now, don’t carry this into the afternoon (old age), otherwise there will be a great diminution of personality and want of inner qualitative enrichment. When our work is over in the world, our objective must be to find out what will brighten our old age, brighten the age after 60²². So, “ Age is a thing of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” These words have been rightly said by Mark Twain.

REFERENCES:

1. Downie RS, Telfer E ( 1980). A Philosophy of Medicine And Social Work : Caring And Curing. Methuen & Co. Ltd. London. p. 142.

2. Prabuddha Bharata. 2002. Vol.107.No.01.p.95

3. https:// evolutioncounselling.com/ finding-meaning-in-old-age. Accessed on 26/06/2018.

4. Adhikari H. “Rural Ageing in India : Economy and Relationship in Post-Retirement Life.” Indian Journal of Gerontology. 2018. Vol. 32.No. 02. P.122.

5. Pathak B, Tripathi S (2016). Widows in India: Study of Varanasi and Vrindavan. Rawat Publications. New Delhi. p. 25

6. Chattoraj BN. “ Problems of Senior Citizens in changing society : An Indian Perspective” . Social Defence, A quarterly Journal. National Institute of Social Defence, Ministry of Socialo Justice & Empowerment Government of India. New Delhi. 2002. Vol. 53. No. 152. P. 35.

7. Pathak B, Tripathi S (2016). Widows in India: Study of Varanasi and Vrindavan. Rawat Publications. New Delhi. p. 26.

8. Mahajan A (1987). Problems of the Aged in Unorganised sector. Mittal Publications. Delhi.p.41

9. Vischer AL (1966). On Growing Old. George Allen & Unwin Ltd. P. 132.

10. Ibid. p. 126

11. Fromm E (1956). The Sane Society. Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd. London. p.38

12. Vischer AL (1966). On Growing Old. George Allen & Unwin Ltd. London. p. 132.

13. Hyde WDW (1952). The Five Great Philosophies of Life. The Macmillian Company. New York. P.176

14. Chappell NL (1991). “ The Role of Family and Friends in Quality of Life”, in J E Birren, J E Lubben, J C Rowe and D E Deutchman’s The concept and Measurement of Life in the Frail Elderly. Academic Press. California. P. 172

15. Ibid. p. 173

16. Vischer AL (1966). On Growing Old. George Allen & Unwin Ltd. London. p. 130

17. Fromm E (1956). The Sane Society. Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd. London. p.36

18. Howell TH (1953). Our Advancing Years: An Essay on Modern Problems of Old Age. Phoenix House Ltd. London. p. 62

19. Mahajan A (1987). Problems of the Aged in Unorganised Sector. Mittal Publications. Delhi. p. 41

20. Swami Ranganathananda (2016). Philosophy of Service. Advaita Ashrama. Kolkata. p. 19-20.

21. Ibid. p. 23.

22. Swami Ranganathananda (2016). Way to Attain Bliss in Old Age. Ramkrishna Math. Chennai. P.07

Received on 01.10.2018 Modified on 15.11.2018

Res. J. Humanities and Social Sciences. 2018; 9(4): 911-914.

DOI: 10.5958/2321-5828.2018.00153.5