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“In most ancient cultures, there must have been an intuitive understanding of this process, which is why old people were respected and revered. They were the repositories of wisdom and provided the dimension of depth without which no civilisation can survive for long. In our civilisation, which is totally identified with the outer and ignorant of the inner dimension of spirit, the word old has mainly negative connotations. It equals useless and so we regard it as almost an insult to refer to someone as old. To avoid the word, we use euphemisms such as elderly and senior. The First Nation's “grandmother” is a figure of great dignity. Today's “granny” is at best cute. Why is old considered useless? Because in old age, the emphasis shifts from doing to Being, and our civilisation, which is lost in doing, knows nothing of Being. It asks: being? What do you do with it?”

— Eckhart Tolle