Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss
Youth, Old Age and Wisdom
4 views
Skip to first unread message
ibsh...@gmail.com
Apr 27, 2013, 11:41:13 PM4/27/13
to
Many older people tend to have wisdom, but they are not in a position to do much about it. They are out of energy and out of opportunity. Whereas young people tend to have more energy and opportunity but much less wisdom.
For younger people to hang around older people is a boon for both parties. The younger person gets wisdom from the older people; and the older people get to have legacy and to pass on what they know.
My grandmother passed away earlier on in this year. She had done a lot with her life. I was her favorite grandson, and I benefited immensely from interaction I had with her as a young adult.
In America, older people tend to get placed in nursing homes. I would very much recommend for young people to do volunteering at the nursing homes. That way, they learn things that other people their age do not know, the people there love them, and what the older people know does not get lost.
There are other places in the world that see rigid gerontocracies, and this is of course bad for the young people. In America we do not have a gerontocracy; indeed many Americans favor youth and feel bad when they start getting old. This is wrong too. Having no respect for older people is just as bad, if not worse, than having a gerontocracy. These people have lived for a long time and have valuable things to teach everyone else.
When my former boss told me that he was getting long in the tooth, I said, "Everyone gets old except people who die young." Maybe there needs to be a re-evaluation of how people in this country see old age. It's one thing to want to avoid a Singapore-style gerontocracy; it is quite another to have no value for what people older than oneself have to say. The latter results in lifetimes of wisdom getting lost. And that is not good for anyone.
If you are a young person: do yourself a favor. Spend some time with older people and see what they have to say. Often what they have to say is valuable and can be useful for making your own life decisions. And this will not only be good for them; it also will be good for you.
For younger people to hang around older people is a boon for both parties. The younger person gets wisdom from the older people; and the older people get to have legacy and to pass on what they know.
My grandmother passed away earlier on in this year. She had done a lot with her life. I was her favorite grandson, and I benefited immensely from interaction I had with her as a young adult.
In America, older people tend to get placed in nursing homes. I would very much recommend for young people to do volunteering at the nursing homes. That way, they learn things that other people their age do not know, the people there love them, and what the older people know does not get lost.
There are other places in the world that see rigid gerontocracies, and this is of course bad for the young people. In America we do not have a gerontocracy; indeed many Americans favor youth and feel bad when they start getting old. This is wrong too. Having no respect for older people is just as bad, if not worse, than having a gerontocracy. These people have lived for a long time and have valuable things to teach everyone else.
When my former boss told me that he was getting long in the tooth, I said, "Everyone gets old except people who die young." Maybe there needs to be a re-evaluation of how people in this country see old age. It's one thing to want to avoid a Singapore-style gerontocracy; it is quite another to have no value for what people older than oneself have to say. The latter results in lifetimes of wisdom getting lost. And that is not good for anyone.
If you are a young person: do yourself a favor. Spend some time with older people and see what they have to say. Often what they have to say is valuable and can be useful for making your own life decisions. And this will not only be good for them; it also will be good for you.
Buzzard
May 23, 2013, 10:33:36 PM5/23/13
to
On 4/27/2013 11:41 PM, ibsh...@gmail.com wrote:
> Many older people tend to have wisdom, but they are not in a position to do much about it. They are out of energy and out of opportunity. Whereas young people tend to have more energy and opportunity but much less wisdom.
>
> For younger people to hang around older people is a boon for both parties. The younger person gets wisdom from the older people; and the older people get to have legacy and to pass on what they know.
This is no doubt the reason why commercials targeting
> Many older people tend to have wisdom, but they are not in a position to do much about it. They are out of energy and out of opportunity. Whereas young people tend to have more energy and opportunity but much less wisdom.
>
> For younger people to hang around older people is a boon for both parties. The younger person gets wisdom from the older people; and the older people get to have legacy and to pass on what they know.
the young so often make fun of the old. All the
better to keep those young minds glued to devices
that say "You want to buy these products..."
0 new messages