谢振礼 雅思范文: 老人价值
IELTS Writing Task 2
Old People
Topic:
In some countries, old age is highly valued, while in others youth is emphasized. Which viewpoint do you agree with? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience.
Essay:
It is sad but true that respect to elders is fast declining in certain places around the globe. Though some countries do value the old people as well as young people, other countries many not pay enough attention to the aging members of the society.
In some countries, mainly in the West, the society as a whole is so obsessed with youth that everything appears to be geared for the young. In more extreme cases, it is almost as if older(and wiser) people do not exist. It can be seen that so much of entertainment, marketing, social reforms, housing needs and so on focuses on the younger generation. As the world continues to speed up with the technological revolution, the wisdom that grows with the ages can be learned on Google or other searching devices by anyone. Who needs to ask an old man or lady for a wise piece of advice when anyone can become an expert on any topic after a few minutes on the computer? And this is partly why old age is losing its value and is often viewed as a burden and resource drain, since such kind of society tends to associate old age with immobility, incompetence and the inability to provide wisdom for youth. Accordingly, old age is often ignored while youth is usually emphasized.
In other countries, more obviously in East Asia, old age remains highly valued in society which continues to celebrate youth, of course. It is a rather different picture. There, people are bound by a Confucian principle of filial piety and a moral of respect for the elderly. Deeply rooted in traditional values, children are brought up knowing that they will eventually exchange roles with their parents and grandparents and care for them. It is considered utterly despicable and shameful not to respect their elderly people who deserve to be greatly valued. In fact, in China, Japan and South Korea, for example, to make an elderly person happy is the noblest act a young person can ever do. The bottom line is that the elders were once young and strong, so they need to be highly valued as well for all that they have done—particularly making a living and giving the best years to raise their children, not to mention their contributions to the society in general.
Relatively speaking, countries in the East tend to highly value old age, while countries in the West tend to highly value youth. It is easy to understand that youth is emphasized due to living on hope, but it does not follow that old age should live only on memories and regrets.
