Thursday, March 23, 2023
Subscriber Login
My Profile
SpotlightNews
  • Home
  • News
    • Election 2022
    • Business
      • Spotlight On Business
      • Spotlight on Finance
    • Crime and Police
    • Discover-Towns
      • Discover Coeymans Selkirk and Feura Bush
      • Discover Delmar
      • Discover Glenmont
      • Discover Guilderland
      • Discover Latham and Boght
      • Discover Loudonville
      • Discover Menands
      • Discover Slingerlands
      • Discover Village of Colonie
      • Discover Voorheesville and New Scotland
    • Fire Departments
    • Government
    • Milestones
    • Schools
    • Sports
    • Obituaries
  • The Spot 518
    • Galleries
    • Art
    • Food and Recipes
    • Health & Fitness
    • Music
    • Theatre
  • Hot Spots Calendar
    • Calendar Listings
    • Submit Your Event
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Our Opinion
    • Point of View
    • Your Opinion
  • Family Now
    • Parenting News
    • Senior News
  • Towns
    • Albany County
    • Bethlehem
    • Colonie
    • Guilderland
    • New Scotland
  • Classifieds
    • Employment – Hire Power
    • Services In the Spotlight
    • Classified Listings
    • Advertiser Login
  • Subscribe
    • Subscriber login
    • Give the gift of news
    • Join us – subscribe today
    • Newsletter sign up
    • Renew Subscription
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Election 2022
    • Business
      • Spotlight On Business
      • Spotlight on Finance
    • Crime and Police
    • Discover-Towns
      • Discover Coeymans Selkirk and Feura Bush
      • Discover Delmar
      • Discover Glenmont
      • Discover Guilderland
      • Discover Latham and Boght
      • Discover Loudonville
      • Discover Menands
      • Discover Slingerlands
      • Discover Village of Colonie
      • Discover Voorheesville and New Scotland
    • Fire Departments
    • Government
    • Milestones
    • Schools
    • Sports
    • Obituaries
  • The Spot 518
    • Galleries
    • Art
    • Food and Recipes
    • Health & Fitness
    • Music
    • Theatre
  • Hot Spots Calendar
    • Calendar Listings
    • Submit Your Event
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Our Opinion
    • Point of View
    • Your Opinion
  • Family Now
    • Parenting News
    • Senior News
  • Towns
    • Albany County
    • Bethlehem
    • Colonie
    • Guilderland
    • New Scotland
  • Classifieds
    • Employment – Hire Power
    • Services In the Spotlight
    • Classified Listings
    • Advertiser Login
  • Subscribe
    • Subscriber login
    • Give the gift of news
    • Join us – subscribe today
    • Newsletter sign up
    • Renew Subscription
No Result
View All Result
Spotlight News
No Result
View All Result
Home Capital District Family Now Senior Spotlight

Secrets from longevity

Spotlight Newsroom by Spotlight Newsroom
March 10, 2023
in Bethlehem, Capital District Family Now, Senior Spotlight, Towns
Reading Time: 3 mins read

‘There’s no single secret to living a long life,” centenarian Bill Scharoun of Glenmont said. “Just don’t look back because there is always something to look forward to. Keep yourself interested and look ahead.”

A good example is an upcoming trip that the 100-year-old is excited about to the Amish country and one to Connecticut.

But even when he does reminisce, it’s with the clarity from the age which he’s remembering.

“I got my first paycheck in 1941,” he recalls. “It was also the year I came home and Mom was leaning up against the radio with a concerned look. I asked, ‘What’s wrong?’ She told me that the Japanese had just bombed Pearl Harbor. I said, ‘What!’

“I was 18 and I wanted to enlist,” he recalls. “But Mom said that I had to stay home through the summer and then I could go in, and that’s what I did.”

His reaction to joining the Navy was typical of his generation. However, he doesn’t believe that kind of patriotism would fly nowadays.

“I grew up, and it was a different country then,” he said. “We figured it was our turn to protect it. That’s it. We all went.

“Today, if there was an 18-year-old,” he theorizes, “He’d probably walk right past his mom and that radio and not pay any attention to it. It’s a whole different concept today. Our thing back then was that we were all one group as a nation. Now, it’s more that everyone is individuals.

“In those days, if I earned five dollars, I wouldn’t have thought about not turning it in to give to my mother for the house. Today, if you ask a kid to go shovel a sidewalk, he wants to know how much he’s going to get paid.”

Another gradual though big change that he has observed over the past 10 decades is the growing disrespect for parents, authority and others, in general.

“I would never think of sassing Mom or Dad,” he said. “You respect elders. When I went down the street, I didn’t hurt someone’s property. I don’t know what joy a lad gets puncturing tires or keying someone’s car. What kind of thrill is that?”

Scharoun feels the responsibility for the moral slippage must be laid at the feet of the parents.

“The parent is no longer in control,” he continued. “Hitting children is not the answer, but a little tap on the backside when you are a 4- or 5-year-old boy makes a big difference when you get to be 11 or 12. You don’t hurt the child. But you let them know what they did was wrong. If you did that today, you’d have the police department on your back.

“It all started when a bunch of people started saying, ‘You can’t do this or that,’ and now our children have no reason to be afraid. People listened to Dr. Spock. If I did something wrong as a kid, my father would find out. If he didn’t get the information from the neighbor, he’d get it from the cop on the corner. If I was keeping bad company, somebody would say, ‘You’d better get Bill away from that crowd.’”

In the second part of this story, we will mine more of the insights from the 100-year-old World War II veteran.

Robert J. LaCosta writes a daily devotional called “Portals to Heaven” that you can receive free in your email. He has also launched a podcast that features seniors doing great things called “The Age Sage.”

Tags: communityfamily nowhistoryretirementSenior Spotlight
ShareTweetShareShare
Previous Post

Genealogy tips to streamline search

Next Post

Bethlehem Area Weekly Police Blotter March 1st – March 8th

Stay Connected with Us

Recent News

Voorheesville Public Library news: Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon

March 23, 2023

Guilderland Public Library news: The Music of Burt Bacharach

March 23, 2023

Bethlehem Public Library news: Go on a library expedition

March 23, 2023

OBITUARY: Jane Ellen Streiff Spelich of Delmar

March 23, 2023

Hot Stories This Week

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest

Colonie Area Weekly Police Blotter March 8th – March 15th

March 19, 2023

Bethlehem Area Weekly Police Blotter March 8th – March 15th

March 18, 2023

Colonie Area Weekly Police Blotter March 1st – March 8th

March 12, 2023

Eva Marie Saint, the Academy Award-winning actress, started her path to fame here

March 15, 2023

Voorheesville Public Library news: Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon

March 23, 2023

Guilderland Public Library news: The Music of Burt Bacharach

March 23, 2023

Bethlehem Public Library news: Go on a library expedition

March 23, 2023

OBITUARY: Jane Ellen Streiff Spelich of Delmar

March 23, 2023
Spotlight News

Spotlight News, The Spot 518 and Capital District Family Now are divisions of Community Media Group, LLC. Our local offices are located at 341 Delaware Ave, Delmar, NY 12054. You can contact us at 518.439.4949.

Browse

Follow Us

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact the Editor
  • Employment
  • Our Team
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Legal Notices Portal

© 2022 Community Media Group, LLC - 341 Delaware Ave. Delmar, NY 12054. 518.439.4949

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Election 2022
  • News
    • Crime and Police
    • Fire Departments
    • Milestones
    • Real Estate and Housing
    • Schools
    • Sports
    • Spotlight On Business
    • Spotlight on Finance
  • The Spot 518
    • Galleries
    • Art
    • Theatre
    • Music
    • Food and Drink
    • Health & Fitness
  • Hot Spots Calendar
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Opinion
  • Classifieds
    • Advertiser Login
    • Service Directory
    • Hire Power – Employer Spotlight
  • Capital District Family Now
    • Parenting News
    • Senior News
  • Towns
    • Albany County
    • Bethlehem
    • Colonie
    • Guilderland
  • Log In
  • Subscribe

© 2022 Community Media Group, LLC - 341 Delaware Ave. Delmar, NY 12054. 518.439.4949