Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Sidelined at the Far End

Many at the far end of things1 likely feel much like Moses must have felt looking over into Canaan and knowing that he would not be part of the conquest of the “promised land” (Gen 32:48-52). God had effectively sidelined him from the next great adventure of his people. In our case, time has caught-up with us in the form of aging’s numerous aches and pains, or serious illnesses and, in any case, retirement many years ago from our former positions of active engagement in the world has made us no longer players but turned us into observers of the world and the momentous events of recent days (wars in the Mideast and Ukraine and Mr. Trump’s positive numbers in the recent polls), and local crises, too many to chronicle in a two-page blog.

            To the credit of the cable news networks they have enlisted as “consultants” a few of our number who are recently retired political, governmental, military, and academic figures whose opinions they consider still current in order to cast light on the events of the day. These once influential figures from the recent past are once again players in our national drama. Too many current occupants of influential positions in government and academia are reluctant to speak candidly about events that eventually affect all of us.

            Most of those who observe the passing of days from the far end are sidelined and feel powerless to influence the course of few things in their individual lives, much less matters of the state and international affairs. What is left to us is volunteering our services locally, if physically able, contributing financially what we can to causes we believe in, and responsibly voting our conscience. Many are like the proverbial figure in John 21:18, dependent on the help of care-givers. Once we ran gazelle-like through life, shared wisdom as we knew it, loved and were loved in return, wept through the years at too many funerals, and saw our homes depleted as children assumed their own places and activities in life. Some of us observe and ponder our reduced worlds from the far end, while others suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia are no longer capable of such introspective reflection, and still others because of physical anomalies and other handicaps look on from beds and wheelchairs. If you run into one of the far-end tribe, recognize that once they were movers and community shakers; and many in spite of their advanced age and infirmities still have much to contribute, which they will willingly and candidly share. At the far end duplicity is not valued.

            The Judeo-Christian tradition has left us a few cogent appreciative comments about our aged brothers and sisters.

Job 12:12: Wisdom is with the aged and understanding in length of days.

Psalm 92:14: [The righteous] still bring forth fruit in old age, they are ever full of sap and green.

Sirach 8:9: Do not disregard the discourse of the aged, for they themselves learned from their fathers; because from them you will gain understanding.

Sirach 25:4: What an attractive thing is judgment in grey-haired men, and for the aged to possess good counsel.

Sirach 25:6: Rich experience is the crown of the aged, and their boast is the fear of the Lord.

Lev 19:32: You shall rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of an old man.

Of course, the biblical tradition does not give blanket approval to the aged just because they are old. Yet these comments show the tendency of the tradition to appreciate the experience of those at the far end.

Alas, there are also other observations as well:

Job 32:9: It is not the old that are wise, nor the aged that understand what is right.

Eccl 4:13: Better is a poor and wise youth, than an old and foolish king, who will no longer take advice.

On balance, it seems that the biblical tradition is realistic. Not all those at the far end have gained wisdom through their experience, but some have, and deserve to be recognized for what they still have to offer.

Charles W. Hedrick
Professor Emeritus
Missouri State University

1The “far end of things” is my expression for what I consider advanced old age. Gerontologists disagree as to when advanced old age begins. For some it is 85+, in my thinking it is 90+. Currently this percentage of the population is estimated by the Census Bureau at 4.7 percent of the U.S. population aged 65 and older. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_age#:~:text=One%20study%20distinguishes%20the%20young,old%2Dold%20(85%2B).

7 comments:

  1. Charlie this is one of the most introspective reflections you've posted on your blog. It's excellent and agreeably provocative, at least to me.
    It may be relevant that most of the biblical sources you cite are your ancient correspondents, the elder sages such as Qohelet's imagined Solomon in dialogue with the imagined sage Solomon in the book of Proverbs.
    And in your engagement with them you join in their discussion, worthy company.

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  2. Hi Charlie,

    Jesus had a few ideas about success, wealth, and God's domain that can be practiced and passed along by a person of any age to any person of any age.

    Give to everyone who begs from you.

    If you have money lend it to someone from whom you won't get it back.

    It's easier for a camel to squeeze through a needle's eye, than for a wealthy person to get into God's domain.

    You can't be enslaved to both God and a bank account.

    He was thinking about full store houses when that very night he died.

    Whoever forfeits life will preserve it!

    There are men who castrate themselves because of heaven's imperial rule!

    Funk, Robert. The Gospel of Jesus. Polebridge Press, 1999. 74-75

    With the communication means at our disposal, each one of us could communicate this type of message across the world daily. But who would back us up?


    Gehe Stecher
    Chambersburg, Pa.



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  3. Thanks Bill. I had not thought of the essay that way but will do so.


    Gene, I am not sure that the statement about castration will preach! At least it is not part of a gospel I see myself spreading all over the world.

    Charlie

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  4. Thanks for the good laugh, Charlie.

    Careful not to take anything in the last post too literally.

    What would be an acceptable equivalent to the commitment of self-castration????

    How does one implement the self-denial involved in any item on the list in a reasonable sensible way?????

    Gene

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  5. Hi Gene,
    Perhaps, personal self-effacement in the service of the kingdom? I don't know of anyone who has tried to give a practical explanation of that saying. How do you understand it? Through history I think it has been understood literally.
    Charlie

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  6. Hi Charlie,

    I think you've seen me write before that for Jesus, more than anything, the kingdom was about practicing goal-oriented passion. That attitude is particularly evident in the parables: the Vine Keeper (Luke 13:6-9; the Badgering Friend (Luke 11:5-8); The Shepherd's Search (Luke 15:4-6 and //s); Persistent Home Manager (Luke 15:8-9); Merchant's Sacrifice (Matt 13:45-46); Desperate Manager (Luke 16:1-6); Treasure Hunter (Matthew 13:44); Widow's Harassment (Luke 18:2-5;0) Assassin (98:1-3); the Landgrabbers (Thomas 65:1-7 and //s), and, yes, also the Self-castrator, which I classify as a parable.

    Gene Stecher
    Chambersburg, Pa.

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  7. Hi Gene,
    I would not call it a parable, since the classic "parables" in the bible are narrative. If I thought it was not a literal statement, I would have called it metaphor, which is, simply put: a figure of speech describing one thing under the guise of something else.
    Cordially,
    Charlie

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