World Elders Day

October 1st is identified as World Elders Day. It is a day when society remembers and honors its elders by giving them gifts, talking to them, spending quality time with them, etc. In short, make them feel happy, important and cared for.

On October 1st, a handful of CAS students from the Sharad Pawar International School, Pune, including myself, decided to honor the elders of our society. We spent countless hours making cards to show our appreciation for the elderly people of society. We then bought roses, and boarded a bus for Pune International Airport. At the airport, we began distributing cards and roses to all the elders we could see with wide smiles.

I decided to help take the initiative and participate in this activity because I wanted to provide a service to the elderly community. Society has a special day for everything. Even cheesecake! So it edged me to take a few hours out of my timetable to bring a smile to the face of elderly people.

My expectations were met because I was able to bring a smile to more than one elders face :) ! It was highly fulfilling when the elders took the cards and roses and expressed their appreciation for our efforts, and it made all the work worthwhile.

The activity, however, was not without difficulties. I had to deal with the difficulty of rejection. Many elders saw our kind gestures as insulting. They refused to take the cards or roses. The rejection was hurtful, but the fact that my peers were experiencing similar difficulties kept my attitude up. With their support, I was able to continue with my service. By the end of the activity, however, I learned to overcome rejection. A rejection caused me to approach the next elder with a wider smile.

I learnt that I was not accustomed to rejection and that different people have different reactions to certain gestures, even if they are good-willing. I now understand that rejection should be serve to deject you, but instead it should be taken in the right spirit. This activity allowed me to learn more about myself, as I learned that I take rejection very negatively. It allowed me to understand one of my weak points to work on. Certain activities, such as this one, make you a stronger person.

If I could redo the activity, I would not change anything, as it was an activity which was highly enriching. It helped my peers and I by teaching us to deal with rejection, and it made us feel good by giving us the opportunity to conduct a social service.

My accomplished learning outcomes were:
1: Undertaken new challenges
2: Worked collaboratively with others
3: Shown perserverance and commitment in their activities
4: Engaged with issues of global importance
5: Considered the ethical implications of his actions