Sure I'm for helping the elderly. I'm going to be old myself some day.

Kindness is just planning ahead

We often help people with an eye toward what we might need someday. It's self-interest dressed up as kindness, and there's nothing wrong with that—it's actually how a lot of good gets done. When you picture yourself at seventy, struggling to open a jar or afford medicine, suddenly supporting better senior care feels less like charity and more like investment in your own future.

But there's something quietly wise about admitting this. Most of us pretend our generosity comes from pure altruism, which can make us feel virtuous but also creates a weird distance from others. When you say plainly "I'm helping because I'll be there someday," you're acknowledging something true: we're all in this together, moving through time toward the same vulnerabilities. The elderly aren't some separate category of people—they're us, just ahead on the timeline.

This reframes how we think about social support. It's not about charity trickling down from the fortunate to the unfortunate. It's about building systems we'll actually want to live in when our turn comes. That perspective shift—from "I'm helping them" to "I'm setting things up for us"—can change the whole conversation about aging, healthcare, and how we treat people society often overlooks.