I am a senior citizen in my 87th year. While, from some points of view, old age may be a difficult period in our life, it is certainly distressing to hear some people say that old age is a curse. It is my personal conviction that old age can be as happy a period in our life. If not happier, that any other period. Ofcourse, some of the pleasures of earlier years may no longer be available to us. For instance, earlier in my life, I used to look forward to being on the tennis courts as early as possible after office hours. Later in life, I used to look forward to my one-hour early morning walk in the Lodi Gardens in New Delhi or in the Cubbon park in Bangalore. Today, with an implanted pacemaker for my heart and very poor eyesight, I have to restrict myself to walking on my terrace. This does no, however, mean that I am any the less happy now. As the 'outer man' decays, the 'inner man' is strengthened and this latter process. I feel, more than compensates of the former. The sense of elation one experiences when on is at peace with the world and has received the 'fruit of the Spirit' (Galatians 5) is certainly of a higher order than the pleasures of earlier life.

2.One cannot, however, over look the fact that physical ailments may sometimes cast a shadow over life in old age. It is, however, now generally accepted by all medical authorities that a substantial percentage of all ailments are caused by un-Christian mental and spiritual attitudes, which cause functional disturbance in the smooth working of the human system, which is designed to function in the 'Image of God'. To the extent we are able to attain 'the peace of God that passeth all understanding'. We are able to get rid of all such ailments.

3. It is also refreshing to bear in mind that a good many of the achievements of mankind go to the credit of senior citizens. Sophocles wrote his "Philocetes' at87. Michelangelo was writing poems and designing buildings up to the time of his death at 90. Goethe, Germany's great poet, completed his 'Faust' at 81. Titian completed his 'Last Supper' at 80. Benjamin Franklin at 81 gave leadership to the drafting and passage of the U.S. Constitution. Nelson Mandela at 83 plays the blessed role of peace maker in his war-torn Africa. While there may be things we are not able to do in our old age. There will be some thins we can do. For instance, we can pray for a neighbour in distress. With our longer experience of life, we may be able to talk lovingly to a neighbour-hesitate to use the word 'counsel'-and lift him our of a pit of despondency and, the process, bury our own sorrows in the vacant pit. Let us rejoice in the realization that we are able, in howsoever small a way, to be a blessing to others.