The Time Bank

The term "Time Bank" seems quite amazing. The concept of "Time Bank" was originally formulated by Swiss Federal Ministry of Social Security as an old-age pension program. As the name suggests, surprisingly it's not about money or about the time. It's all about love and concern for others.

Under this young people have to service elderly people and take care of them with love and affection. The time (no. of hours) that they spend taking care of the elders will be recorded in their personal accounts by Social Security System. And when they turn old, they can withdraw the time from the Time Bank and request for any young people to take care of them. This is another way of taking care of themselves in advance. According to the survey conducted by the Swiss pension organization it’s found that more than half of Swiss young people are interested in this type of old-age care service.

Our ancient time bank

Luckily, we Indians may not need such complexities like Time Bank. Unlike other countries, we have well socialized society and family structure. We respect and take care of our parents and grand-parents as our responsibility aligned with love. Unfortunately, few people fail to take care of their parents and elder ones which lead to the raise of Old-age homes. Old-age homes were not in our culture. And I wish it should not be in Future too. We have the concept of Time Bank inbuilt in our culture. If every home takes care of their parents and grand-parents in their home, there won't be any need for Old-age homes. The time you spend with your elder ones and the love you show for them will be returned back to you along with their blessings. The time and affection you spent for them does not need any Time Bank to get recognized or recorded. As per the law of nature, whatever you give, will bring back the same to you.

Role of youngsters

Today, youngsters spend their time more in social media which could drive them more in fake relationships. The bitter truth is that we are not ready to accept that we are deployed by these social networks, even though we know that we are. It’s not true that we can’t live without being socialized. We are not ready to do so. Instead, when we spend time with our neighborhoods and elders we really add meaning to our lives. They are the real stack of experience and wisdom. They are the one who can support us in our need. So let us build a healthy society by respecting and taking care of our elders. Let us enjoy this life and at the same time add meaning to it.