SSAI's executive realizes the problems of declining membership that the majority of seniors' centres are experiencing and are very determined to try to change that situation. However they cannot do this huge task alone and are asking for each and every member to help them. They believe, as do I, that the problems lies not in the fact there are no seniors, but that the seniors in our communities have had, up to now, no real incentive or reason to join SSAI.
The board believes with all our combined experience and knowledge we can come up with the ways and means to correct this problem. They have struck a committee whose aim is to reach out to all members, in all centres, to determine how best we can overcome this concern.
The committee already has some great ideas how SSAI can attract new members and at the same time help existing members and centres to cope with their failing resources and memberships. We all need to help them and pitch in with positive ideas, because the alternative is not one we need or want. All those ideas and suggestions should be forwarded to the president, who is heading this new committee.
I receive quite a lot of phone calls and notes and there are some really great items of interest to seniors and probably now is the time to bring some of them into this letter. One is entitled, (author unknown) We Were Awesome and its directed at all those people who survived the 1930s, '40s, '50s and '60s. I can mention only a few of the quotes because of space. "As infants and children we would drink water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with all of our friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from that. We ate cupcakes, white bread and bacon. We drank Kool-aid made with real sugar and we were not overweight. Why not? Because we walked to school and played all day from morning to night and only came home when the street lights came on and we survived. There were no Play Stations, Nintendos or Xboxes, no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no TV, no Internet and no chat rooms, no video movies or DVDs, no surround sound or CDs, no cellphones, no personal computers, but we did have friends because we actually went out and found them. The idea of parents bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of, because they actually sided with the law. Those generations have produced some of the best risk takers, problem solvers and inventors ever. The past 50 to 80 years have seen an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. No blame was attached to events in our childhood or even our parents' childhood that affected our successes, failures, our vices or virtues. We just got on with our lives and made the best of it."
For many of the people out there now who seem all too willing to blame everyone and everything for the problems they have this could be the lesson that they should learn.
Now something to make you smile. The word "politics" describes the system that rules most of our lives. In Latin the word 'Poli' means 'many' and I believe that "tics" mean "blood sucking creatures!" Only in Canada, eh! With all the problems that politicians face today the biggest one still remains the one of image. Elected MPs and selected Senators helping themselves to the trough of tax money does nothing to help that image and then expecting the man in the street to believe the feeble and lame excuses for their actions seems to put icing on the arrogance and ignorance cake. Right about now we should all be looking for our brooms in preparation for making a clean sweep and see if we can't come up with something better.
Once again I would like to remind all the people who think they know what seniors want or care about, remember, we may be old, but we are not stupid.
In the meantime please remember that SSAI needs all your help, and while you are thinking of the ways you can be of assistance do not forget to stay active and to stay healthy. The 'golden ages' are not for the weak and feeble.
