Takanori Kato, at age 68, is in his first year as a home helper in Tokyo's Chuo Ward. Last December, he graduated from a 4-month nursing course and immediately got a job at a nursing home. Since then, he's been learning the ropes of lifting the spirits of bedridden patients while taking care of their physical needs. Kato loves working: From age 19 to 60, he was a printing engineer for a newspaper; from 60 to 65, a quality controller at an ink company; and from 65 to 67, a database administrator. It was while working at this last job that Kato suddenly realized that he wanted to help the elderly. It was a calling that changed his life: Kato has never been happier and he wants to serve others for as long as he lives, which we hope will be for a few more decades.

When you admire people, it's easy to work for them. I respect the elderly because they worked so hard and went through so much. I see every old lady as my own mom and every old guy as my dad. I also look up to the staff here and want to help them.

If adults keep their eyes on the present and their hearts connected to the past, it gives young people more space to venture into the future. Hayabusa, the Japanese unmanned spacecraft, has just returned to Earth after a 7-year journey. This is the kind of fantastic project that young people should focus on. We the elderly must take care of ourselves.