Maná del cielo: ¿fantasía religiosa para los mayores, o resiliencia en las dificultades de la vida?

Abstract

The novel paradigm of the elderly in Brazil reflects the search for life projects, the commitment with health, and the spiritual dimension. Facing this new scenery, the main goal was to investigate whether religion may or not be a resilience resource for those who seek after a healthy aging process. An exploratory approach was made, based on Viktor Frankl’s theory, an icon of resilience by overcoming his imprisonment in Auschwitz and, as a consequence, responding to such painfulness with dignity, including Jung as well, owing to his researches on religious experiences, besides other authors who have contributed to the enrichment of the present theme. The phenomenon of death found in Kübler-Ross (2017), and the exhibition concerning sceneries of churches in Brazil permeated with deaths, robberies, excessive use of cellular telephones whose habit is defined as nomophobia, were analyzed. Hence, it is believed that the older, the more resilient a person becomes, and the “manna” stimulates the arrival at the Promised Land.