Sons of the Old Men

“A good name is better than precious ointments…” Ch.7, Vs 1 (Ecc)



It was in time past, that names carried great weight with them. For we were a people (in those far–off days, in many of the lands throughout the world) who paid much attention to our old men, gave them much honor; youth even in my day—sixty some years ago was especially careful to preserve good character of their old men, for their names sake (in particular in the United States where I grew up with a Russian-Polish family, and even in the seventies, in Europe, where I lived for four years).
Such men have won wars, ruled countries, as well as households, and raised children, reserving and preserving their character and name within their sons from reproach.
These are of course the sons of the old men, whom are old men now, whom without a good name to leave their children and their country, felt empty (this emptiness is near nonexistent in our youth today).
In many of the social orders today (societies throughout the world), and especially in Peru, where I have a second home, although Peru is a warm society in general, a man’s word is no more than a broken branch from a tree, not to be given much notice, or valued. Matter-of-fact, it is to the contrary, looked upon as stupid, and if confronted to be made accountable for ones behavior, it is taken as an insult.

No: 473 (9-20-2009)