1. Escort the old man into the prison, and calmly and unyielding when he is arrested
At dawn, the sky was still covered in night, and the prisoner cart slowly passed through the iron gate at the edge of the city and entered the prison so heavy that it could not breathe. In the prison carriage sat a wizened old man, with silver-gray hair scattered down, his eyes severely lacking the luster of his eyes, wearing a shabby cotton coat, and his hands were tightly locked in cold shackles.
As the iron door mercilessly closes behind the old man's back, the prison guards are speculating whether the old man will shed tears of remorse or let out a cry of despair. However, to everyone's surprise, the old man smiled brightly, as if this was the place he had been waiting for for a long time.
He stared at the sturdy prison walls, his expression calm, as if this was the end of his life. "I'm finally here, just let me spend the rest of my life in this place.
Although the old man's voice trembled a little, his tone was full of unprecedented firmness.
The prison guards looked at each other, not knowing what to do for a moment. At this moment, the old man spoke again, and he grinned and said in an almost innocent tone, "Please give me a harsher sentence."
"What?!" The prison guards were deeply shocked by the old man's words, and were speechless for a while. They had never seen such a detainee before, and they even began to wonder if the old man had lost his mind.
However, the old man was clearly convinced of his words, and his face was filled with a complicated smile, both the ease of relief and the excitement of anticipation. Seeing the prison guards looking at each other, he simply took the initiative to explain: "I am sincere, I hope you can give me a harsh sentence and let me stay here for a longer period of time."
It was like lighting a torch in the darkness, and the old man's words instantly broke the lifeless atmosphere in the prison......
2. Looking back on the tortuous life course of the elderly, struggling in a life of poverty
Why would an elderly man be so ecstatic about such an illegal act as imprisonment? The answer goes back to his 70-year journey.
The old man was born in an extremely ordinary poor family, his parents traveled all the year round for a living, and he was taken over by relatives since he was a child. During those difficult and difficult years, how he longed to one day return to his parents' arms and live a comfortable and happy life.
However, the hand of fate was often ruthless, and when he was only six years old, his biological parents died of a serious illness, and he never saw their voices and smiles again.
Since then, the old man's life has been in endless loneliness and hardship, and he can only rely on the charity and sympathy of his relatives to survive. Thankfully, his relatives still had a shred of conscience that allowed him to finish primary school.
However, as the years went by, he was forced to interrupt his studies due to poverty as a teenager and join the hard-working team.
How could a young man with only a beginner's level of Chinese find a decent job in that era? The old man started out as an ordinary skilled worker in a factory, working hard for more than ten hours a day, but the salary he received was sadly small.
Subsequently, he tried many different trades, such as porter, shop clerk, and handyman, but all of them were physically demanding jobs that did not bring great rewards except for exhaustion.
In this way, time flies, and the old man's living conditions still do not improve. Alone and penniless, he had to do odd jobs to make ends meet. Sometimes, even if you work hard for an entire month, you are only paid enough to support a week's worth of living.
The burden of life weighed on the old man like a mountain, and his hopes for the future were gradually shattered.
3. An experience in his youth has influenced him to this day
Talking about the lonely experience of the old man's life, he had an unforgettable experience when he was young, which became an eternal regret in his heart.
At that time, the old man was in his early twenties, and although his family conditions were extremely difficult, his heart was still full of yearning for a better life. One day, he was wandering near a construction site, and by chance, his eyes were drawn to a young woman dressed in a gorgeous manner.
The woman was beautiful, tall, and smiling, and she was the perfect goddess image in the old man's mind. At first sight, the old man who fell in love instantly ignited a blazing flame of love in his heart.
Since then, he has been wandering around the construction site every day, watching her from afar and approaching her cautiously.
At first, the woman didn't pay much attention to the plainly dressed and ordinary-looking young man. However, the old man was unwavering, and every few days he would muster up the courage to take the initiative to talk to the woman.
Seeing that the man was so focused on her infatuation, the woman's heart secretly swelled with respect and affection for the elder. They stared at each other, their hearts full of hesitation and hesitation, and fell into an ambiguous and somewhat strange situation.
However, I am afraid that no one would have expected that this supposedly happy marriage would be so ruthlessly blocked. Soon after, their "underground romance" happened to be broken by the woman's family, which caused the relationship between the two parties to be strongly opposed by the parents, and the old man was forbidden to set foot in the woman's life again.
Since then, the old man has often wandered alone on the street where he once met the woman, lamenting his destitute fate, believing that this marriage is destined to be unfulfilled, and that he can only die alone.
This regret became an eternal nightmare in his heart.
Fourth, driven by despair, they resolutely choose to go to the road of crime
Seventy years of life are undoubtedly long and helpless for this old man. He has experienced countless life and death margins, witnessed the death of his peers one after another, while he was forced by life to be alone and destitute.
Since his youth, the old man has been working hard. He worked hard, doing odd jobs and scavenging for a living. Although his income is meagre and he can barely make ends meet, he has never given up his yearning for a better life.
However, life was like a heavy shackle to him, binding him tightly and making it impossible for him to breathe. Fearing that he was on the verge of despair for a long time, the old man's hope for life gradually faded.
He could not see any light, and the road ahead seemed destined to be so decadent until the end of his life.
Even the tiniest wish cannot be fulfilled. In this desperate environment, the old man's heart began to grow numb, the idea of giving up. He no longer fears death, but sees life as a mustard.
It was in this psychological background of despair that the old man finally decided to change his predicament in an extreme way. An idea that deviated from the norm gradually formed in his mind - since life is so painful, why not simply embark on the road of breaking the law and committing crimes, in exchange for the "qualification" to enter prison?
Indeed it is! The old man was willing to go to prison and pursue the so-called "peaceful old age". There, he can enjoy food and drink without leaving his home, stay in a well-equipped, weatherproof room, and no longer worry about hunger and cold.
Therefore, in the middle of a silent night, the old man resolutely decided to embark on the road of no return, in order to reach the other side of the prison he longed for, and to achieve the old age life he dreamed of.
Step into Part 5 with a description of life in prison and falsifying crimes to extend sentences.
The old man was arrested and imprisoned for a street robbery. The moment he first stepped through the prison gates, he was amazed by what he saw.
Originally, the old man thought that the prison would be a filthy, eerie cage. However, the reality far exceeded his expectations. The hygienic environment is clean and tidy, the daily meals are nutritious, and there are even facilities such as toilets and beds – once unattainable luxuries for the elderly, but now within easy reach.
Facing everything in front of him, the old man smiled and praised the prison guards again and again: "It's so beautiful, I want to enjoy this time here." ”
In order to prolong his time in prison as long as possible, the old man began to behave badly in prison, openly violating prison rules and discipline, fearlessly contradicting the prison guards, and clashing with other inmates for no reason, creating disputes and stirring up trouble.
Every time he was put on trial, the old man was able to justifiably justify his wrongdoings and make a series of exaggerated actions and words. Once, he tore his clothes in front of everyone, revealing his naked body and shouting loudly.
People in the detention center were shocked by his "crazy" behavior and speculated whether he was really mentally ill.
In addition to the constant chaos in prison, the old man also kept faking criminal acts in an attempt to increase his guilt. He made up lies claiming that he had committed more serious crimes, expecting a judge to punish him severely.
Again and again, "flaws in the prison were exposed", which made the prison guards cry and laugh at this nearly ninety year old man. He was advised to change his personality, but he was stubborn. The old man's series of actions were undoubtedly aimed at prolonging his time in prison as much as possible, so that he could live a carefree life in prison.
Moving on to Part 6, we'll delve into the social causes and concerns about the quality of life of older adults.
In response to the recent "pension crime" incident that has aroused widespread concern in the whole society, many voices have expressed their disbelief and strong condemnation! However, we must be soberly aware that the main culprit that pushed this poor old man down the road of crime is actually the various loopholes and defects in the mainland's current social security system.
So far, the mainland has not yet established a set of effective mechanisms to ensure the quality of life of the elderly. Many developed countries attach great importance to the elderly, especially those over 70 years old, and every aspect of their lives, from financial resources, medical security to spiritual needs, has been carefully and well cared for.
On the mainland, however, the importance attached to this aspect pales in comparison.
Take this unfortunate old man as an example, although he once dedicated his youth to society, due to his poor educational background and lack of skills, he was destined to not obtain a good income and pension.
In addition, family support cannot be realized due to the plight of being single and lonely, and the dual protection of economy and family is lost, and the elderly are naturally in extreme danger in their later life.
It is true that there are some public service institutions in society that care for the elderly, such as nursing homes and medical assistance. However, these services often come at a cost, which is an unbearable burden for a penniless poor person like this old man.
It is precisely because of these institutional deficiencies that vulnerable people like this old man have to make shocking choices when they are struggling on the brink of survival. This has undoubtedly aroused widespread concern and in-depth reflection from all walks of life on the quality of life of the elderly in the mainland.
Many experts and scholars have spoken out, calling on the government to start from multiple levels such as raising pension standards, expanding the scale of public nursing homes, and strengthening community services, so as to effectively improve the living conditions of vulnerable elderly groups across the country, including this old man, and prevent similar tragedies from happening again.
Our goal is to ensure that every older person can enjoy a comfortable old age and uphold their most basic dignity in life.