A reader laments the lack of respect for senior citizens among...

A reader laments the lack of respect for senior citizens among the young. Credit: Morgan Campbell

I can’t believe what I recently witnessed in a supermarket parking lot. I had just exited the grocery store after a few purchases for Thanksgiving dinner.

I saw a young driver stop his vehicle and shout to a much older man loading his vehicle with his own groceries: “Hey, old man, do you have diabetes?” He repeated himself, and the older man said, “Yes, I do.”

The younger man, maybe in his mid-20s, started driving again and continued on his way, behind the store.

I was confused about what I had just seen and heard. At first, I thought that these two men knew each other, and the younger man was trying to be crudely funny.

I walked over to the older man, now sitting in his vehicle, and asked, “Do you know that guy?” The man said no. I asked what may have prompted the young guy to speak to him the way he did. The man said that sometimes people stop and say, “Thank you for your service.”

This was not one of those times although he was wearing a veterans hat with service pins. We spoke briefly, and I learned he was 79 years old. Some quick math informed me that would make him a Vietnam War veteran.

I told him I was 69 and that I had never served, the draft having ended in 1973. I thanked him for his service and said I was sorry about the behavior of the other man. He appreciated that, and we both went on our way.

As I drove home, I still felt terrible about this situation I had just witnessed. Why would this young person — any person — speak to a senior citizen in this manner?

I believe an erosion of respect has been taking place in our society. I have experienced it myself, and this situation just reinforces it.

I only hope that younger people — all people, for that matter — can have patience with others and be kinder and more respectful. Better behavior can go a long way toward bringing back something that is unfortunately lacking in society today.

— Joe Restivo, Hicksville

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