Ummah Leadership Forum

This site presents an opportunity for people of all ages and gender to pose questions as

well as discuss ideas and share opinions on a wide-ranging spectrum of contemporary

issues and problems which need to be resolved in order to sustain the integrity of the Ummah

as a significant driving force in the so-called “New World Order”.

How To Live A Meaningful Life

By : Tuan Syed Barkat Ali (President USIAMAS)

One of the problems faced by many Senior Citizens is the syndrome of diminishing self-esteem. This syndrome causes older persons to feel depressed, lethargic, worthless, and unappreciated. We often hear older persons grumble making such statements such as, “nobody now listens to me”, “I do not get the respect I deserve.”, “life is boring,”, and “no one wants to talk to me”.

It is my belief that this is related to the concept of “retirement”. The word “retirement” to many, implies a period of rest, a time to relax and take it easy, a payback time when one collects dividends for the services rendered in the past, a period when one has reduced responsibilities, when you sit back and get others to do things for you, when the purpose of life is just to sit and watch the world go by, a period to enjoy. Man however was created to thrive on challenges, on the fulfilment of purpose, on relentless pursuit of excellence through continuous improvement. “Retirement” as it is currently understood therefore is an irrelevant concept and goes against the purpose for which man was created.

With all the experience and skills acquired, the so called term “retirement” in fact, represents the true achievement of independence for the “retiree”. This is the moment when the “retiree” is freed from the drudgery of routine humdrum life and is now given the opportunity to choose to do exactly what brings colour and meaning to his life. He or she is now able to choose to proactively apply all the knowledge, skills and experience for the betterment of self, family, community and the environment. This is the period when one can purposefully volunteer to serve community and make his or her life more meaningful and rewarding.

Self esteem is the feeling of being worthy to be alive, being needed, being able to contribute usefully to benefit others. I have observed that older persons who are physically, mentally and socially active seldom display this syndrome of diminished self esteem. The so called retirement period is the most appropriate time for us to find a cause or a social ill and to dedicate ourselves together with others, to the removal of the particular problem, thus making our lives more meaningful and our community one that is more pleasant to be in.

Respect, honour, attention for senior citizens will not be achieved by default. These must be earned regardless of whether we are young or old. The way to earn respect, honour and attention is through our contribution to the betterment of society. Senior citizens with their vast experience and inventory of skills posses the potential to contribute to the development of society. For a start USIAMAS is currently in the process of developing programmes to encourage senior citizens to be come volunteers in the following areas of human development

a. Friends of the Aged (Sahabat Warga Emas) – a companionship programme to visit and provide support simple services other senior citizens who stay alone in their own houses

b. Friends of Orphans (Sahabat Anak Yatim) – a foster grand parenting programme to provide tuition and conduct various activities which promote and reinforce socio-emotional bonding with parentless children.

c. Friends of Teenagers and Youth (Sahabat Remaja dan Belia) – a senior citizens mentoring programme to facilitate the inculcation of noble values in the young.

USIAMAS will conduct relevant training programmes to develop the necessary knowledge, attitude and skills in senior citizens who volunteer for any of the above programmes. We hope for a start, senior citizens who wish to live a more meaningful life will volunteer for the above programmes. Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information. May you live a fulfilling and meaningful life.