3,500 years gone in an instant

"Respect your elders" is a common saying, even though you don't hear people say it much any more. It's supposed to mean that you should acknowledge that they have been around much longer than you, they are probably (or should be) wiser because of it, and you should respect them for it. There is an elder who has been around for 3,500 years. Think about how long that really is. Before King Tut. Before the Trojan Wars. Before the Roman Empire. Before the Buddha and Confucius. Before Jesus and Christianity were even a thought. Before the Aztec and the Incas. Before King Arthur and Genghis Khan. Here is the story about that elder, who was alive and well and still going strong, right up until yesterday. Fifth oldest in the world. Elders are elders, not all of which are human. It's important to acknowledge that we share this planet with many other forms of life, and we are no more, nor less, important than they. We should have respect. The story says that this person is a model. I would agree with that. She is a model of disrespect. A model of the foolishness of meth. Certainly not a model of beauty, even if you correct the blemishes and baggy eyes in her picture. The ugliness goes deeper than that. And one should not be so proud to disrespect their elders.