The answer is probably True. But they do have valid reasons for their grouses.
Let's put ourselves in the shoes of an 80-year old man. He has limited funds so he complains about soaring prices. He recalls the old days when a cup of kopitiam coffee cost only 40 cents. Now it's RM1.60 at the mamak stall.
There was a time when he could travel and enjoy an active social life. These days he is mostly at home, unable to venture out alone because he no longer drives and there's no one free to take him out. His perennially-busy adult children have little time for him.
Once upon a time he lived to eat. Now he eats to live. His diet is restricted to low-fat, reduced-sugar and cholesterol-free foods. No more favorite hawker food for him, no more culinary indulgences, all because he has a host of health problems.
His old hobbies no longer interest him. He can't read because of poor vision. He has little interest in watching tv as the programs don't appeal to him. He can't enter the exciting world of the internet as he is computer-illiterate, and refuses to learn.
As a young man, he was blessed with good health and vitality. Now the passage of time has reduced him to a frail shadow of his former self, with all the accompanying aches and pain of old age.
It is no wonder old people are bitter and grouchy. They have all the time in the world to gripe about everything under the sun, from high prices to corrupt politicians.
What a horrible way to grow old! We can't stop growing old, but we can certainly choose how we want to grow old. It's all about attitude.
We can choose to grow old complaining about things from A to Z. Or we can choose to focus our attention on the things that make us happy, like our grandchildren, like being able to look back at happy times with fondness, and not compare them with the present.
There is little point in harping on things that can't be changed. We should learn to accept whatever unfortunate circumstances we are dealt with and make the best of the situation. Let's make our lives worth living.
