THE NEED FOR A LOGICALLY PLANNED WORLD

SOCIAL CONDITIONS (cont.)

The Elderly

Another aspect of the life expectancy issue is that which is referred to of late as the "aging of the world's population."  Recent years have witnessed not only worldwide escalations in the number of elderly, but an increase as well, in much of the developed world, of the proportion of older people to younger.  It is estimated that by 2025, our planet will contain almost 1.2 billion people aged sixty and above.

Along with this, it is further noteworthy that a larger and larger proportion of these elderly are predicted to consist of people--particularly women--who will be over eighty years of age.  This will impose additional demands upon our health care systems, as well as the financia;l resources for providing such care.

There will be, among other things, a serious need for a greater quantity of, and broader variety of care within, hospitals, long-term care facilities, communities, and within our homes themselves.  The common goal should be enabling the elderly to stay healthy longer; and to remain at home, or near home, for more years of their lives.

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The Handicapped

The disabled and handicapped among us comprise another category of persons who deserve more attention than they currently receive in many parts of the world.  It is estimated that the human race currently includes over half a billion people who suffer from some form of disability.  Admittedly, and fortunately, many of these are relatively mild, and thus require little or no official help.  But this still leaves a substantial remaining number of persons who are genuinely in need of one or more forms of assistance or care.  And sadly, today, in the less developed places, programs directed toward such of the unfortunate among us are meager at best; and in the least developed regions, they are nonexistent altogether. 

Worldwide programs aimed at prevention and rehabilitation are necessary.  Resources and facilities for carrying out such programs should be established worldwide.  People studying for careers in fields related to these, as well as pertaining to many other such problems, could be required to perform internships as part of their programs of study.  I have long believed that the concept in general of requiring students who will in the future earn their livelihoods (in some cases rather lucrative livelihoods) by dealing with certain kinds of persons or problems, to "pay it forward" in the form of volunteerism or internship within their fields would often be helpful.  For it would serve to provide exposure and experience to these future practitioners.  Furthermore, it would furnish personnel and assistance, at reduced cost, rendered by people who were most truly interested and involved in the subject of their undertakings.

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All of these things can--and should--be accomplished.  But it seems that many can only become possible when the financial distractions connected with the maintenance of arms and armies by our present numerous national governments throughout the world become a thing of the past.  And this would be a good thing.  For it appears to be far better for man to deploy and expand his resources for higher purposes such as the suggestions uttered by me during the last several days--than to expend billions upon efforts to kill one another--in disputes having origin in the outdated phenomena of national identity and factional hostility.

My primary purpose is to persuade people to abandon our persistent "dark age" modes of thought.  This is happening anyway.  But we must hurry--in order to "beat the clock," within a world which, sad to say, presently constitutes a "time bomb"--lest some horrible tragedybefall us porior to world unity becoming accomplished in the natural course of events over the long term.

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