REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A RECEPTION AT ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN FOR REPRESENTATIVES
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A RECEPTION AT ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN FOR REPRESENTATIVES FROM ENIOR CITIZENS GROUPS
Is cúis mhór áthais dom fáilte a chur romhaibh go léir chuig Áras an Uachtaráin inniu.
Both Martin and myself are delighted to welcome all of you here to Áras an Uachtaráin today. I know that many of you have travelled long distances to come here today, so I hope you will relax and enjoy this afternoon and will leave with some fond memories of your visit to the Áras.
Today is an opportunity for me to acknowledge and to thank all of you and, indeed, to thank all our senior citizens for your important but all too rarely recognised contribution to building, shaping and nurturing the Ireland that is today – an Ireland that is confident and forward looking. Today’s prosperity would not have been possible had it not been for the sacrifices and commitment of our parents and grandparents. Most of them had very little, but they worked and scrimped, they mended and made do, they did without themselves so that we could have a better life. Today, we celebrate the commitment, self-sacrifice and selflessness of the generations who ploughed and sowed by hand the fields that we now reap by machine.
There is a proverb from the Orient that says, “if you plan for a year, plant rice. If you plan for ten years, plant trees. If you plan for one hundred years, educate your children”. And so it is that in Ireland today we have a wonderfully talented and well educated young population who have prospered because you put a high value on education, an education so many of you did not get the chance of yourselves, an education you would have loved the chance to have but an education you do not begrudge to today’s young people.
For some, growing older seems a seamless process, enriched with good health, an optimistic outlook, a loyal social and family circle and financial security. Some times though as we get older we may begin to feel a little bit obsolete, a little lost, frail and vulnerable in the world of the young with their play stations and computers – sometimes we aren’t even sure we’re speaking the same language! But the truth is that while on the surface many things may change, fashion comes and goes, certain central truths remain. All of us need to hope, to dream, to share our worries and our insecurities. In the growing busyness of daily life, that gift of having time for each other is an endangered natural resource, time to engage the wisdom of the older person with the curiosity and energy of the young.
In his beautiful novel about the Korean War – entitled “I am the Clay”, the author Chaim Potok tells the touching story of an elderly couple, fleeing for their lives across icy mountains.
They waken each morning to find the dead bodies of their fellow refugees – dead from cold and hunger. The old handcart they used to help them across the mountain, to carry their bedding and bits of firewood is essential to them for survival. En route they meet a badly injured child and the old woman nurses him back to life against the old man’s better judgement. He is angry because the boy has to be fed and food is scarce. He is weak and has to be carried. But the boy grows strong. Later the wheel falls off the cart. All three are in danger of dying because they cannot go on to safety without it. The old man knows how to fix it but hasn’t the energy to scavenge for the materials he needs.
The young boy has no idea how to fix it but has the strength to gather the materials. Together, old man and young boy fix the cart – they make it to safety together. On their own, none would have survived but with the wisdom of the old and the strength of the young, a formidable partnership changed all their lives, created new chances, fresh opportunities.
Their story is not so far from ours today. The truth is that in the wider community we need your wisdom, insight and energy to help shape a more humane and decent world. This has never been more evident to me than during my Presidency - seeing at first hand the work of the many communities that I have visited around the country - community groups and voluntary organisations who are using the experiences and talents of older people and harnessing that great reservoir of energy and skills for the benefits of others. And this new confidence in life and living has re-energised a spirit of determination to live life to the full, regardless of age.
To adopt a positive vision of aging not only ensures quality of life in old age but also unlocks the true potential of older people, providing encouragement to continue to contribute, to help in skilling our young people, to educate them through friendship with them, and to remind us all of the values that matter. That is what life should be like – a period of lifelong learning for all ages.
For your enjoyment this afternoon, we have the brilliantly talented trio who call themselves ‘The Octagenarians’ – Sissy Makey, Martin Welsh and Michael Phelan, our MC for the afternoon, William Morgan, and our first-aider, John Gould.
Have a wonderful time.
Go raibh maith agaibh go léir.