Respect for the Aged Day is Japan’s annual rite of showing respect for longevity. Also known as Keirō no hi, the holiday honors those citizens who are 60 years of age and over.
This year’s event scheduled for September 19 is all the more important given what happened on March 11. On that fateful day a 9.0-magnitude earthquake caused a tsunami of devastating proportions that cut short many fruitful lives while wiping out shore-side communities.
Yet the Japanese people survive to celebrate another year.
When we humble ourselves to our parents and those who have come before us, we are perhaps hoping that we too will be granted a long, happy life. Time is what we crave. Time and opportunity, friends and lovers.
This year I too want to take a moment or a day to remember that longevity is not a guarantee or a right. It’s a miracle that is granted to some, but not all.
I also want to remember what Japan citizens — young and old — experienced after the surging water had crushed their dream of happily-ever-after. By communing with those who have endured, I too hope to endure.
Blessings to my friends and their families.
And respect and love to my parents.
