LETTERS: My friend Panja told me one fine day recently that he forgot to bring his wallet when going to a mini market.
I asked him if he needed me to lend him some money. He told me that luckily he had some money in his car. The bill was less than RM10 and the little spare cash tucked away somewhere came in handy.
It is an SOS. He, like most of us, is in his mid-70s. He can still drive and socialise.
He is the livewire in our grandparents' group who is tasked to fetch grandchildren from school. They have to come to school two hours earlier in order to secure a parking lot in the vicinity of the school.
To while away their time before school dismissal, they meet up in a coffee shop near the school and drink and chit-chat there.
A group of six and seven like-minded people can be congenial. They take turns to foot the bill.
Come to think of it, we don't remember our grandparents fetching us from schools in the 60s. We were mostly on our own.
We walked or cycled to school. Most of our parents didn't have the means to own even an old car. They usually cycled to work. Most of our teachers also cycled to school.
At that time, not many grandparents lived to their 70s, so grandchildren and grandparents did not live together under the same roof. In our new generation, we as grandparents do live to a ripe old age.
It is thanks to advancement in healthcare. Most of us can still walk and drive. Some have adopted the daily regime of walking at least 10,000 steps.
Some take up yoga and tai chi. Those who walk daily wear a device which monitors the number of steps they have taken.
Such sophisticated devices were not in existence in the 60s. We as a generation have witnessed many life-changing experiences especially in technology.
We were mostly born after 1945.
We didn't experience the trauma of a world war and we do not want to experience one either.
We treasure peace, progress and prosperity. Our children and grandchildren have the same dream.
DR KOH AIK KHOON
Subang Jaya, Selangor
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times
