The Age Pain Equation

Sometimes,
I end up sitting next to bitter, old guys at the bar,
that love to play the age card like its going out of style.

I do believe that with age comes education, life perspective,
and often times more intelligent and mature approaches to living.
But I have to say, when I see people act as if they have the market cornered on pain,
simply because of how old they are,
I have to bite my lip.

The age card does not automatically earn my sympathy when used in reference to desolation. And I don't buy it when people claim their torture to be "unique" or "special" because of their age.

Why?
It has been my experience, that age does not set the bar for how much suffering a person has been subjected too.

I have met CHILDREN that have experienced more pain in a single month than many 60 year olds have seen their entire lives. For example, a few years ago, I was substitute teaching at Linder Elementary in Austin, Texas. Just before the morning bell, a kid by the name of Damien walked in and sat down on the floor. He had his turtle neck pulled up over his head and he was acting bizarre and distant, so I decided to pull him aside and ask him what was wrong. It took a little bit of coaxing, but he eventually opened his flood gates, and proceeded to avow that he had just watched his father stab his mother TO DEATH in front of his very own eyes. I was in shock. I abruptly called the principal and in less than an hour, Damien was whisked away by the police. I never saw him again. I found out later that Damien's father had tortured his mother in the kitchen before she died, forcing him to sit in the living room throughout the entire ordeal.

Age does not mean ANYTHING when it comes to suffering,
as one, single swipe of the knife can spill enough blood
to stain a life forever.

So to all the bitter, old men out there,
including the bitter, old men of the future (one of which will probably be me),
never judge pain by age...

judge it by the weight of the eyes.