Grumpy senior

There have been several incidents recently that bother me. I was recently informed by the Motor Vehicles Branch that I must attend a lecture and test before my drivers license would be renewed. I've known this would happen for a long time and it applies to everyone of a certain age. What I found to be unsettling was that the real purpose of this event was to discourage my generation from driving. Besides a vision test and a written test the process includes a lecture and a booklet  that describes all the physical limitations senior drivers must deal with printed, not surprisingly, in large bold font. OK, our mature bodies are not as rubbery as younger people and a reminder is probably a good, if painful, reminder of that reality. The booklet ended with a cost study that shows we can save $5000 a year by taking taxis or public transportation. The booklet describes other ways to get around without a car. It is obvious they want seniors off the road.

      Some results of the 2011 census were published showing that the number of seniors will soon exceed the number of young people entering the work force with the implication that the world would be better off if seniors passed away younger as they did in years gone by. The subtle implication is that we should get out of the way so the Boomers who are now becoming seniors will have space to take over the senior market as they took over throughout the decades. Of course, who were the parents of the Boomers? It's we, the current seniors who bore and raised them. Is that gratitude?

       Am I super sensitive about this? Well, yes, I guess I am but who said life was fair. It is pleasant and so much better than the alternative so I'll live with it but I just had to bitch a little bit. It's the privilege of being an old grump.