Most of us are taught at a very young age to show regard for our grandparents — after all, they are Mom and Dad’s Mom and Dad. At the same young age many see their grandparents as an extension of their parents and as loving caretakers.
At some point in time this perception of a grandparent changes with age. We begin to view them as loved ones to be cared for and to be valued for their years of sacrifice — in other words to be respected. Even if you do not know an elderly person that you meet, you are taught to show respect for such an individual by virtue of their advanced years and their inherent wisdom from a lifetime of experiences.
On Monday, November 15 (2010), in Lynn, Massachusetts, Geneva Sozanski — an 89-year-old great grandmother — was viciously attacked by a 30-year-old man who ran off with her purse, apparently wanting her money. She was knocked out cold on the sidewalk in a pool of her own blood. She sustained serious head and facial injuries. Fortunately, a Good Samaritan stopped to help her until the police arrived. She would later recover to the joy of a very supportive community and well wishers.
But, who would attack a defenseless elderly woman? Who would knock a grandmother unconscious and leave her to die on a sidewalk? Who would show little or no regard for basic human dignity?
The attacker showed no respect, at any level, for Grandma Sozanski. He did not exhibit Human Respect — the most basic mode of respect for Mrs. Sozanski by virtue of her as another fellow human being. He did not exhibit Positional Respect — another mode of respect for Mrs. Sozanski by virtue of her being an elderly person in the community (a status that comes with age and years of wisdom rooted in a lifetime of experiences), Did the attacker not know these things about Mrs. Sozanski?
Fortunately, the assailant was arrested by the police a few days later. His name is Nicholas Christian — as in Saint Nicholas, from which Santa Claus is modeled; and as in Christian, a person who adheres to the teachings of Christ. How ironic! It appears he needs to get a new name!!!
