SM Goh Chok Tong at the 60th Anniversary of the Planting of the Bodhi Tree and Laying of the Foundation Stone of the Buddha Jayanthi Building

I am pleased to see so many of you here today to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the planting of the Bodhi Tree and laying of the Foundation Stone of the Buddha Jayanthi Building at the Sri Lankaramaya Buddhist Temple.

I was invited to speak on the topic of honouring seniors. I am happy to do this as I am not qualified to speak on Buddhism.

Let us start by honouring the senior citizens here who have contributed valuable services to the temple over the years. I shall later present awards to them to show our gratitude and respect.

Respecting the elderly is a theme found in many cultures and religions. It is a social value handed down from generation to generation. It binds one generation to another and ensures the continuity of the tribe, clan or community. So for most of us, holding our elders in high regard and showing them affection come naturally.

As the Chinese saying goes, one generation plants the trees under whose shade future generations rest. (前人栽树，后人乘凉.) This explains succinctly the obligation of one generation to the future generations. But this obligation is not one way. The future generations too, have obligations towards the previous generations.

So Confucius, born five centuries before Christ, taught that we should respect the elderly as we respect our own parents. (敬老尊賢,孝親尊師.) And we should do so not just because of what they have contributed in the past, but for their experience and knowledge and the useful advice that they can continue to offer. (家有一老，如有一宝.) Having an elderly person in the family is like having a precious treasure. The Indians similarly have a saying that one should "Always be grateful for the advice you receive from elders".

So too the great religions. The Buddhists believe that those who venerate the elders and persons of great virtue derive four benefits – long life, pleasant complexion, good health and strength. According to Islam, "He is not of us (Muslims) who does not have kindness for our young and respect for our old". The bible says, "Show respect to the elderly and honour older people. In this way you show respect to your God".

Is the age-old value of respecting the elderly getting weaker or worse, becoming outdated in the modern world? I ask because in the past, the young were cared for by the old and the old were venerated. But now, both public and private institutions provide services in areas such as child care, education, nursing care and hospital care. The government also provides a good social safety net and financial assistance to the needy. As a result, the traditional inter-dependence within the family and between the generations has been eroded in the modern world.

There is also another development. Today, children are generally better educated than their parents and grand-parents, as they should be. They do not live within the community in which they were born and grew up in. Their kampong has disappeared. Their village has become a global village. In this open world, they are studying and working abroad in increasing numbers. They stay away for long periods from their families and friends whom they grew up with. Hence, they are less deeply rooted to any particular community. Instead, they go to where the opportunities are, setting up new homes in other countries, and often leaving their parents and aged relatives behind. What is the attitude of the young towards the elderly? What is the role of the elderly in such a world? 

This issue has profound implications for us as there will be more and more old people in Singapore. In fact, it is not just us. The world is experiencing what some people call a “silver tsunami”. Within the next few years, the world will have more people above the age of 60 than children below the age of 5. This has never happened before in human history. But for us in Singapore, it has already happened – more than two decades ago, in 1986.

Thus, compared with the rest of the world, we have aged faster. Just twenty years ago, our median age was about 30. Today, it is about 40. In twenty years time, it is estimated that our median age would go up to about 50. Just imagine, you walk into any housing estate and one in two persons you come across will be over 50 years old.

It is, therefore, timely for us to reflect on how to adapt and adjust to this “silver tsunami”, in particular, how we should relate to the elderly, leverage on their talents and life experiences, and honour them for what they have contributed.

But first, who are the elderly or senior citizens? In the past, we consider people over 55 to be senior citizens. Today, many of us are still active and working at 70 and can look forward to living until our 80s. How old we feel is very much in the mind. It is our attitude towards life. Mark Twain once joked that “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter!” So I hesitate to use age to define the old. But generally, we tend to link our senior status to retirement age.

But regardless of whether the retirement age is 62 or 67, I would encourage those who can and have the opportunity, to work longer. It need not be in the same active capacity as when they were younger. It could be something lighter and less stressful. Work will keep us physically and mentally active. It also gives us a sense of self-worth, knowing that we are still contributing to the community.

That is also why we are encouraging employers to restructure their jobs and to move away from the idea of a fixed retirement age without regard to the employees’ physical and mental health. Many employers already recognise and value older workers for their people skills, experience and dependability, especially those in the healthcare, education and social service sectors.

But while the elderly today are much healthier than the elderly decades ago, all of us will eventually reach a stage when we become frail and dependent on others. How the young and healthy treat the dependent old will define the kind of society we are - whether we remain a caring and gracious society or have become a selfish and coarse one. Many Members of Parliament have come across sad stories of children throwing their aged parents out of their homes because they are viewed as a burden. Though not widespread, there are also instances of children abandoning their parents in old folks’ homes. These are isolated cases but we must ensure they do not become a trend.

How? Let us start by valuing the skills, experience and dependability of the old. As I have said earlier, let us give those who have reached the retirement age the opportunity to continue working, not necessarily in the same roles. There are also other simple gestures we can make to honour them for their contributions to today’s Singapore. Let us make our housing estates, recreational areas and shopping malls more elder-friendly. Let us have ramps for wheel-chairs in public areas and lift stops at every floor in high-rise buildings. At the personal level, we could give up our seats in the bus and MRT to the frail and elderly. We could be more patient with those who talk or walk more slowly. How we treat the old today will set the tone for how we ourselves will be treated when we grow old. More importantly, it will tell the world the kind of society that we are.

My wish, as you celebrate your 60th anniversary, is for our society to always have respect, compassion and affection for the old.

I wish all of you a happy 60th anniversary!