WHEN I AM OF 64 YEARS …..

Mark Twain once said "Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't
mind, it doesn't matter."

But with negative stereotypes of aging in the media and life expectancy
having gone up in India beyond 65, it's hard not to associate growing older
with nothing but aches, pains, feebleness, and lack of freedom and mobility.
Well that is perception today in 2016!

Let us fast forward to the year 2067 when I will be 64 years old (or should I
say 64 years young!!)

The time would be absolutely like chalk and cheese compared to today. A
world full of technology as far as we all know and hoping for. Our country
India would have hopefully fulfilled their dream of a digital life. But I don’t
even know whether this would result in some advantage for the elderly ones.
Either the people would be so busy in their schedule that they wouldn’t even
know that their parents even do exist.....or this could be absolutely
contradictory.

Maybe the old age homes might advance too resulting in the benefit of the
old people.

I as a citizen would keep working for the advancement of the country in the
areas where it is needed....and that is the under privileged society. We all are
optimistic that this day would come when societies will finally and truly be
free from the stereotypes, but for that we need awakened citizens, and I
pledge to be one of them. I could help specially the under privileged children
by encouraging the young generation to take this responsibility of teaching
them because if they want to continue their digital life then they will need an
educated future and for that every section of the country has to be taught
and raised. I am sure my grand children would consider me as old fashioned
(just as we consider our grandparents old fashioned today!) but I will teach
them the true meaning of why this technology is made.

But wait….before I try to teach the younger generation, should I not be

worried about gaining relevant skills required in that time and age-so I am
looking forward to learn some new skills from them as well. I am in no doubt
that these new skills will help me in fulfilling my mission because Words
worth has wisely said that “child is the father of man” so naturally I will be
learning loads of new stuff from my grandchildren.
There might be computerized chips that would indulge into my brain and
seek my every activity, and there might be mind readers and taxis that would
fly and deliver you in no time and providing you complete comfortable sofas.
I am so excited about these all stuff and maybe I might be one of the inventors
of these bits and pieces.

However, I am absolutely concerned about the health of the people. They will
be lying on their hi-fi sofa sets for the whole day like huge scum bags and
these couch potatoes might well make India the diabetes and cardio disease
capital of the world.

I hope that scientists would invent a humanoid that would make them
exercise at least once a day. I am also thinking forward to indulge in some
fun activities that would take me out from these people who would be so
much technology obsessed.

My grandchildren would surely be taught by some wiry robots and I am

waiting to see how wondrous the classrooms would be. At my time the
children hate going to school and I hope these people at time would find a
way to make schooling fun.

The other question is how can I use my past experience to work for the
betterment of my country and well that would depend on what sort of
profession I choose so for now that question will remain unanswered but
surely it will not go unfulfilled.

Crystal gazing into the future I have also thought that I will do a course in
LLB and work for the cases regarding the deprived women. Woman
empowerment is one of main goals. I also want to share my past funny
incidents with my grandchildren like my grandmother shares with me now.
They are really humorous. I also have a dream of opening a NGO for the poor
street animals because let me tell you I am a animal lover. Whenever I go out
of my house I pity on those poor speechless creatures roaming here and
there and I hope that in future they will have some betterment too.

Would I be able to manage all this without knowing a little about technology
and oncoming Fourth Industrial revolution the economists are talking
about-I do not think so…so learning about IoT (Internet of things) which
may make shopping for grocery, switching on the geyser and other
appliances a thing of the past by connecting all devices which talk to each
other and give instructions so that humans have no role to play…Scary isn’t
it?
That makes me wonder what role humans will have in a world full of chat
bots, humanoids, driverless autonomous cars, drones and what not…..point
to ponder!

Will we lose the power of reasoned thinking, the compassion for fellow
human beings, the feeling of belongingness and many other small joys of life
which only humans are capable of?

I would certainly like to work on these aspects, maybe by opening up a

“school for life skills and happiness” which would not only make use of all
the experiences I would have gained by then, irrespective of which
profession I take up, but give me pure joy and satisfaction of making
youngsters learn how to live life and find happiness…is there any school
today like this?
Finally, I would like to fulfil any dreams which I may not have been able to
fulfil in my younger days-never too late….travelling, paragliding, trekking,
theatre, animal welfare….the list could be long!

One last wish- that I am a child again if one has to believe scientists like
Nicholas Negroponte who predict that in another 50 years’ knowledge can
be gained by ingesting a tablet-how wonderful if I had one today!!! Who
knows medical science by then may have invented a wonder drug for
remaining eternally young!!!

A beautiful quote to end this journey and for all my brethren-“Nobody grows
old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.
Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul”.

I pledge NOT to desert any of my ideals!