“In the Arms of the Elders” by William H. Thompson Personal Reflection On a Book
Before reading William H. Thompson’s book “In the Arms of the Elders,” I honestly assumed that being polite and attentive to people is sufficient for maintaining trust relationships with them. However, the wisdom
reflected in the pages of a book persuaded me, that throughout my life experience I barely scratched the surface of true depth of relations between people.
One of the parables I liked was about giving names to goats. It starts with Bill, the narrator, struggling with loneliness while tending goats. He then finds remedy in elder’s Hannah advice to name the goats. He points,
“It’s my relationships with them that cured my loneliness” (70). The important lesson I have taken from this story is that a person can be surrounded by a crowd of people, but still feel loneliness if he is arrogant to them. In my opinion, being lonely seriously undermines one’s faith in himself and weakens his emotional health. Fortunately, after reading this story I understood the importance of the first step towards companionship.
Another story, which had impact on me, tells about Samuel and his teacher Caleb. After asking Samuel to fill the basket with stones, sand, and leaves, he uncovers the allegory behind the full basket, “True wisdom, Samuel, belongs to those who can fill empty spaces between life’s great events with meaning.” I found this advice to be unique and able to impact one’s life. Moreover, I would like to note that there is the no other way to obtain it than ask a person with a continuous life experience. Bearing in mind this brilliant example of wisdom, I will try to maintain better relationships with elderly people.
I consider the contrasts between the elders of Kallimos and the elders of the Other World to be a significant part of Thompson’s work. The first ones are wise, independent, and confident. They seek sense in life by
contributing to society. The latter are weak, dependant, and socially ignored. They made me immediately imagine a stereotype of a grumbling elderly person, which I observed in cartoons. A truly bitter feeling is to
think about them this way. The problem is that “we force the elderly to trade their independence for the help they need”, what makes them “fearful of asking for assistance” (91). Independence is a right written in constitution, and no person should be deprived of it. Unfortunately, nursery houses do not always follow this right.
I have seen examples, when elderly people were ignored, left alone or misjudged. They are blamed for the natural marks of their age: deliberation, weakness, and physical disabilities. The beautiful facades …
