Life’s Pillars

Life’s Pillars
(Ian Schneider/Unsplash.com, Public Domain)
8/13/2016
Updated:
8/14/2016

Social media sites give us the opportunity to learn from others. Every morning, I interact and read stories of all kinds. Normally, political debates, jokes, or news are the ones that prevail, but rarely do we have the opportunity to help, virtually or not, those who go through a difficult time.

Mark Zuckerberg once said, “By giving people the power to share, we’re making the world more transparent.” The words of the creator of Facebook are very reasonable, but we must be vigilant before sharing anything, so we don’t lose the important thing among the most trivial distractions.

I recently noticed a heartbreaking picture. In the picture, a grandfather ate alone the hamburgers he had prepared for his six grandchildren. On Twitter, the only child who attended the invitation was amazed at the attitude of the rest of the family. Hours later, the world responded with more than 150,000 retweets. These were followed by messages from people who had decided to go visit their grandparents.

Observing the image I remembered my grandmother Annea, whom I loved very much as she was like a second mother to me. She was an exceptional, devoted, and loving woman with a strong character. She helped me be who I am today.

It’s funny how a photo was able to reach the deepest feeling of thousands of people and how it made them reflect on the status of their grandparents. This is an example of how we can transform the world with simple gestures, if our goals are uplifting.

An anonymous saying recalls, “Grandparents are wonderful because they listen and show a genuine interest in what you have to say.” From their long experience we can learn and follow their advice if we give them a chance.

According to recent statistics, 10 percent of older Americans live alone. The data is repeated in other countries like Spain, Mexico, or Colombia. If our aspiration is to get old with an excellent physical, mental, and spiritual health, we are forced to know that life will return to us what we are able to provide.

By the way, the viral grandfather no longer dines alone. Hundreds of people accompanied him to eat burgers days after the viral event. God is love, let the miracle be done!

Ismael Cala is a TV host at CNN Spanish. IsmaelCala.com

Translated into English by Vivian Fernández-de-Adamson, editor of La Prensa Latina.

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