The Rise of the Granny Crim.
Australia, they say, has an aging population. Which makes sense of course. With better healthcare and nutrition, with less people running around the country with firearms (than quite a few other countries!), the probability that one will reach their 80s or 90s is pretty high. What then can we expect the future will look like?
One country that we can look to for the answer is Japan, where many of the population are also aging. Strangely enough, one report seems to indicate that the number of elderly women in prison is going up. Why not after all? As one inmate aged 80 disclosed, “I enjoy my life in prison more. There are always people around, and I don’t feel lonely here. When I got out the second time, I promised that I wouldn’t go back. But when I was out, I couldn’t help feeling nostalgic.” Another 78 year old shared, “Prison is an oasis for me- a place for relaxation and comfort. I don’t have freedom here, but I have nothing to worry about, either. There are many people to talk to. They provide us with nutritious meals three times a day.”
What a novel solution! Being able to stay warm, well fed, secure, and with all sorts of other people to talk to without any worries about electricity bills, rent, concerns about the medical bills or loneliness.
Is this where we are going as a society? If we take a good hard look at ourselves, we are becoming more individualistic, more busy, more private. Do we care for our neighbours? Do we even know our neighbours?
Australian author Tim Winton shared how one day a man, an evangelical Christian, just walked off the street to help care for his badly injured father. That went on for several weeks and Winton regards that “act of grace” as a life-changing experience.
As followers of Jesus, we all know we should love God, but how well do we love our neighbours (Matthew 22:36-40)? Are we showing them we care? Or are we going to become a nation of granny crims one day too?
Sources:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-03-16/japan-s-prisons-are-a-haven-for-elderly-women
https://www.smh.com.au/national/western-australia/less-than-lovely-what-tim-winton-learnt-about-today-s-men-while-surfing-20180307-p4z38l.html
All brickbats, bouquets and banter welcome at pastor@pmbc.org.au