Happier Abroad Forum Community

Has anyone who spent time in both Asia and the US notice the stark differences between old people?

Take for example, my 65 year old Chinese mother in law. Gets up at 5am to walk for two hours. Then takes the bus to the market to buy food for the day. Then helps take care of her grandson from 8am until noon. Prepares lunch for the family, and the goes to dance in the park and/or plays checkers outside. Later she cooks dinner for my father in law and whatever extended family decides to join them that day. At night does whatever, sometimes goes wandering outside, sometimes has tea with her friends, or a number of different things. My father in law, despite being retired from his day job and nearly 69 year old, is still a landlord and continues working and fixing up the apartment complex he owns.

Both of them are energetic, happy, sharp/witty and in great shape. The still occasionally travel within China, and sometime take a 2 or 3 day trip to Thailand. Their outlook is generally positive and they don't take bullshit from anyone. They also NEVER EVER EVER complain. I've similar things in the Philippines and Vietnam.

Compare that to my retired neighbors. They sit on their fat angry asses watching Fox News all day. Once in a while they will go out to eat fast food. The man is a miserable nazi who has complained to the cops about shit like kids running and screaming and playing with water guns. These people literally have nothing to do all day. Pretty sure the highlight of the guys week is going to the Friday night fish fry so him and the other losers can sit around, drink Bud Light, and talk shit about democrats and black people for a few hours. I'd rather be dead than live that kind of existence.

Anyone else notice something similar ?

CannedHam,

So true, so true. Especially for those living in Asia. It just seems like elderly people (Mostly White) like to bitch and moan about everything, and don't do anything productive or social in their lives. Too many angry people in general, in America.

Aren't old Chinese people killing themselves in record numbers because they have no place in society? I wish Western boomers would do that. It does show that the boomer generation in China and the West have something in common though - they suck and they are worthless.

Cornfed, where did you hear that? It's certainly not true.

You might be talking about South Korea. I heard there is an increasing number of crimes being committed by the elderly because a lack of social services (although I'm a bit skeptical of the veracity of these statistics). In China, the elderly usually take care of their grandchildren and help their children go to school. They also usually do tai chi and square dancing in the mornings and evenings.

In Asia, elderly people are respected. Not so in a lot of Western countries, unfortunately.

zboy1 wrote: ↑

December 26th, 2018, 5:17 am

Cornfed, where did you hear that? It's certainly not true.

Here is one source. Not suggesting that it can be trusted implicitly of course, but it is interesting.