St. Petersburg, Russia—Senior citizens’ active involvement in the community and society was the topic of a meeting held on the eve of the International Day of Older Persons.
"The Axiology of Happiness: Timeless Values" was the topic of the meeting on September 30, 2017. Among the participants were older citizens who are concerned about the problems of the city and the world. Already in their lifetime they have accumulated a wealth of volunteer experiences.
These longtime volunteers told us exactly what motivated them to try to solve the problems of society. They tried to find out if among the universal values there are those that are prioritized for each person, regardless of cultural, intellectual or social level, religion, nationality, gender and age.
The participants discussed options for the most effective ways of promoting peace, morality, kindness, personal responsibility and a healthy lifestyle.
The audience was especially impressed by Ambassadors for Peace Lidia Verb and Gennadiy Valugin, who demonstrated their wisdom, inexhaustible energy, and love for life and people.
Lidia Verb, at the age of 88, is an active professor at the university and actively participates in the public life of the city. She said that her secret of happiness and longevity is the work in which she invests all her heart and love.
In the well-known 1964 Soviet film A Tale of Lost Times there is a famous line, "A man who is wasting time does not notice that he is quickly growing old."
The lifestyle of the roundtable participants fully reflects the aspiration of people who are eager to benefit others every day. This fills their life not only with meaning but also with youth and health. And the benefits are even wider, when we strive to live for the common good of other people.