Long ago, I stopped pedaling to the clouds or building invincible sailboats with broken branches. In my mind, everything beautiful and human was possible. Today I present to you an idea that strikes me as a terror, almost as a scream. It has an edge that mortally wounds the most compassionate mind: The mistreatment and neglect that some of our elders receive.

On a daily basis, if you do not live on Mars and you are one of those who walk and face the street and receive the impact of problems and fears, you will appreciate the attitudes of isolation and disrespect towards their individuality and aspirations.

You will also notice that in many cases their ideas, criteria and evaluations are not considered valid, they are undoubtedly objectified. At present, at the same time as the role and importance that the youth should play is being privileged, it is beginning to be recognized that, in a certain way, a group that, through commitment and necessity, maintains, or at least tries to maintain, some of the bases that support the nation, is being relegated.

There is no doubt that this sad phenomenon is multifaceted, and that economic and moral deterioration are riding on it at will. At present, many people see the elderly as a burden, increasingly heavy because of their physical and mental deterioration. This is a selfish and individualistic view that is incapable of weighing all that these people have received in terms of education, training and much more.

In many cultures, the elderly are respected and revered. Their experience and wisdom can better guide the future, as they are a living memory and a safeguard of a superior identity. Without forgetting that they are a vital link in achieving greater social and family cohesion.

In Cuba, moral and civic behaviors were promoted from early childhood, emphasizing the fundamental affective and guiding role of the elderly.

Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. It is enough to go out into the streets and look at reality without fear. Their faces and gestures, when they encounter mistreatment and disrespect in any purchase, bureaucratic or medical process, and even in personal treatment, express a harsh, cruel and real verdict: as you see me, you will see yourself.