Active senior citizens serve as role models for Taiwan’s younger generations

2017/10/23

With people living longer than ever before due to advances in medical technology, it is increasingly important for younger generations to consider how they plan to spend their later years.
 
 Taipei City-based magazine Global Views Monthly recently interviewed 25 seniors over 80 years of age, from 102-year-old grandfather Guo Ting-hu, who competes in annual running races, and 95-year-old Hsieh Chun-mei, who was a practicing doctor for over seven decades, to 90-year-old Peng Meng-hui, founder of English-learning magazine Studio Classroom, and 87-year-old actor-turned-volunteer Sun Yueh. All of these senior citizens are national treasures, possessing rich life experiences and knowledge. They are not only role models to their contemporaries, but also represent what the younger generations should aspire to become.
 
 Sun, known for his volunteer work, one day caught a cab with his wife as they traveled to church to meet with friends. After getting into the front passenger seat, he struck up a conversation with the driver. The cabbie asked Sun his age and was surprised to learn the former actor was 87. “You don’t look it at all,” the driver said. “I’ve watched you perform since I was young!”
 
“Do you mean you watched me grow old or that you grew up watching my movies and TV shows?” Sun said with a laugh before turning the tables. “So how old are you?”
 
When the driver replied he was 63, Sun informed him that he would be able to get the senior citizen discounted EasyCard in two years. “No, no, no,” the cabbie responded. “I don’t want to be old!” Most people, like this cab driver, are afraid of getting old. Aging, however, is inevitable.
 
Taiwan is the fastest-aging society in the world. Soon, one in every five people will be 65 and over.
 
 According to the Cabinet-level National Development Council, the proportion of senior citizens, those 65 years of age and over, has increased by 1 percent year on year since 2015. Senior citizens will make up over 20 percent of the population in 2026. This means that Taiwan will join Japan as a super-aged nation, as one in five people will be 65 and over.
 
 Taiwan’s aging index surpassed 100 in February, reaching 100.18. This indicates that the country has more seniors than young people. That month, the number of people aged 65 and above reached about 3,139,000, while those under the age of 15 stood at approximately 3,134,000. With the birthrate failing to keep pace with the growth in seniors, Taiwan is home to the fastest-aging population in the world.
 
 When Sun disembarked from his taxi ride, he thanked the driver for the comfortable journey before earnestly sharing some words of wisdom. “How come you’re not comfortable with yourself? You’ve finally made it in life, become a senior citizen, and are now able to enjoy the benefits that come with that. Why don’t you want to be old? Life is like the four seasons, each as beautiful as the last. Why would you fear getting old?”
 
Life is indeed similar to the progression of the four seasons and like the coming of winter, aging in unavoidable. Yet, if people are able to follow Sun’s example of embracing old age with positivity while remaining young at heart, what is there to be afraid of? With a lifetime’s worth of knowledge and experience, seniors are invaluable to society and cherished assets for their communities.
 
Seniors interviewed for their optimistic approach to old age
 
 In 2014, Global Views Monthly published a special issue on how to plan for a fulfilling retirement. At the end of 2016, the magazine started planning a feature article exploring life after 80 and invited local governments from 20 cities and counties nationwide to recommend senior citizens to be interviewed.
 
 The magazine believed that Taiwan was in need of inspiring examples of model seniors. Some of the candidates were almost 100 years old or even centenarians. What they all had in common was their compassion and concern for society, as well as their healthy lifestyles, determination to learn and willingness to pass down their knowledge to younger generations.

 Global Views compiled a list of 123 senior citizens suggested by education and social affairs bureaus nationwide. Recommendations from Hondao Senior Citizen’s Welfare Foundation, Silver Linings Global and other nonprofit organizations were also used as references. After much deliberation, 25 model senior citizens were chosen.
 
 These active seniors were categorized into four main groups—lifelong learners, selfless contributors, self-challengers and never retirees. After the interviews, it was clear that the seniors all shared an optimistic attitude and were not afraid of getting old.
 
 This is especially true for those in the self-challengers category. Although they experience more regular health concerns with the passing of time, many of the featured seniors seem to grow more resilient with age, with their physical strength and endurance outshining those of people decades younger than them. These include seniors like Chiu Shu-jia, who enjoys walking on stilts, centenarian Guo Ting-hu, who likes to go running, and Pan Xiu-yun, nicknamed Jet Plane Grandma, who holds the record for the oldest Taiwanese to climb Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa.
 
 While many members of the younger generation look forward to an early retirement, some of the featured seniors do not have the word in their vocabulary. One example is Yun Guo, chairman and founder of Internet of Things company MiTAC Information Technology Corp.
 
 Also noteworthy is Sun, whose is commendable for his positive attitude toward life and determination to volunteer for charitable causes. This is despite years spent battling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The illness resulted in daily rehabilitation sessions and a high risk of infection, which could result in hospitalization.
 
 Local writer Huang Chunming, considered a national treasure in Taiwan, was diagnosed with lymphoma three years ago. After undergoing treatment, Huang’s lymphoma recently went into remission. Giving himself the nickname Active Old Timer, Huang is not as physically strong as he was prior to his battle with cancer. But he is just as determined to be active, and he is planning to return to northeastern Taiwan’s Yilan County to read story books to children. “As long as your brain is still working, you need to continue being active,” he said.
 
 A few years ago, a humorous and heartwarming Hollywood movie was released called “The Intern” commenting on how old folks can avoid becoming obsolete in these fast-changing times. The plot follows 70-year-old retiree Ben, played by Robert De Niro, who after the death of his wife looks for a new challenge. He decides to start interning at an e-commerce company founded by young, ambitious Jules, played by Anne Hathaway.
 
 When he starts his internship, Ben, white-haired and always formally dressed, does not fit in with his much younger, jeans-wearing colleagues. After an adjustment period, Ben begins to get along well with his co-workers, who start going to their older colleague for life advice. Jules, a strong career woman, also seeks guidance from Ben when she encounters difficulties in her business, family and marriage.
 
 Like the slogan written on the movie poster—“Experience never gets old”—life experience never becomes obsolete. Although Taiwan society is aging rapidly, many of its senior citizens are living more fulfilling lives, becoming a valuable example for the younger generations to look up to.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=11&post=123488)