S: I feel bad when I see the treatment of old people in this country. In contrast the elderly seem so much happier as they have independence to do what they please, date other people their age and seek companionship, which is frowned upon in our culture.
A: What do you mean? Should our old people start leaving the house to seek companionship? Do you suggest speed dating or tinder? Sometimes you really come up with the most absurd of ideas. Can you imagine your 80-year-old grandmother going on a date?
S: If it were up to me I would encourage her to get married again. She has been a widow for ten years now and she’s alone and barely has any friends. Is it some sort of curse on our elderly that they cannot even think of remarrying again after their spouse passes away, without being ridiculed to death? Does Islam put some sort of limit on the age where its appropriate for a person to get married?
A: Well no, it doesn’t but isn’t it ridiculous to find a wife for an 85 year old man who can barely hold his own? I have a friend whose grandfather remarried to a 45 year old and he was 85. It was the most embarrassing thing ever for the family when a child was born a year later. Imagine being a father at that age.
S: So would the family rather have a cranky old man in their midst who is a burden for everyone and they don’t know what to do with him? Or would they have a happy full of life and zest father who is busy living his life till death doesn’t allow him to do so anymore. Why must we stand in the way of someone’s happiness just because of cultural appropriation?
A: It just doesn’t work that way. We are far away from a day where we will encourage our elderly to join tinder and go behave like twenty something year olds.