Title: 7 Cultures That Celebrate Aging And Respect Their Elders | HuffPost Life
Headings: 7 Cultures That Celebrate Aging And Respect Their Elders
7 Cultures That Celebrate Aging And Respect Their Elders
Here's what we can learn from other cultures, both past and present, about embracing the aging process.
"Old man" isn't a bad word in Greek.
Native American elders pass down their knowledge.
In Korea, elders are highly respected.
Chinese children care for their parents in old age.
In India, elders are the head of the family.
In the African-American community, death is seen as an opportunity to celebrate life.
In ancient Rome, elders were a precious resource.

Content: There are over 500 Native American nations, and each has its own traditions and attitudes toward aging and elderly care. But in many tribal communities, elders are respected for their wisdom and life experiences. Within Native American families, it's common for the elders to be expected to pass down their learnings to younger members of the family, according to the University of Missouri, Kansas City. In Korea, elders are highly respected. Much of the Korean regard for aging is rooted in the Confucian principle of filial piety, a fundamental value dictating that one must respect one's parents (although Confucius was Chinese, Confucianism has a long history in Korea ). Younger members of the family have a duty to care for the aging members of the family. And even outside the family unit, Koreans are socialized to respect and show deference to older individuals as well as authority figures. "Few of those who are filial sons and respectful brothers will show disrespect to superiors, and there has never been a man who is respectful to superiors and yet creates disorder," Confucius wrote in Analects. " A superior man is devoted to the fundamental. When the root is firmly established, the moral law will grow.