IT IS “incredibly important” we develop the capacity to put ourselves in the shoes of a different age group and see the world through their eyes, President Michael D Higgins, has said.
“To be able to put yourself in the space of the other person is the foundation of respect.”
The President said fruitful interaction between older and young people would help open an entirely new chapter in the story of Ireland. It would be separate from the chapter that had failed us, “a chapter based on individualism, consumerism gone mad and very often very deep generational bias”.
Mr Higgins was speaking in Dublin at a seminar hosted by Older Bolder, an alliance of non-governmental organisations that champions the rights of older people. The seminar was held to celebrate the links between young and old. This year has been designated European Year of Active Ageing and Intergenerational Solidarity.
During the 14 months he spent campaigning for the presidency, Mr Higgins said older people told him they would like to see a better country for younger people, while younger people expressed concern for older people suffering disadvantage. “So that solidarity between generations is already there in embryonic form,” he said.
Practical programmes and actions needed to be drawn up to encourage this solidarity, he said. This would lead to “a real republic” and a society for all ages.
“An Ireland that ensures older people are not marginalised by ageist attitudes and that respects the young and combines wisdom and energy is a rich society,” he added.
“I think an Ireland in which people are encouraged to think positively about their own ageing and to plan sensibly for later life is important.” So, too, was an Ireland that recognised and celebrated the contributions older people had made and continued to make towards the economy, community life, learning and the arts.
Patricia Conboy, director of Older Bolder, said people of all ages needed to make their voices heard about the sort of society they wanted to create.
“There is a lot of debate about the economy right now, and that is right and necessary. However, we must not lose sight of our values, our vision and our dreams about the sort of country we want to live in,” she added. Leaders and decision-makers would respond when people made their voices heard.
“A fair health system, decent transport links, supports for people at challenging times of their lives – these are the marks of a healthy and thriving society,” Ms Conboy said.
