Experience versus Youth

For the purpose of this article, by experience we are referring to the experiences one gathers in one’s lifetime and the opinion we form of various issues in life, whether we should agree with older people’s opinions, or whether with age people become less brave, less willing to try new things, so become conservative in their approach.

One way of looking at it is that an older person has seen more years of life, say 50 years more than a youngster, so they have seen more ups and downs and know that a period of success in life might not last forever and there are bound to come periods of misfortune, failures, accidents, poor health which teach tough lessons to a person until they can again struggle against odds and get to a more stable position, sometimes if not by themselves then maybe by the success of their children if they have been able to give their children a healthy and disciplined upbringing.  On the other hand, youngsters have a sense of confidence that nothing can go wrong, that they are strong enough, they know how to face life, they can fight any situation, they have enough qualification or skills to earn a good livelihood, and that their fortune can only go in one direction, that is towards the sky.  But, very few of us are lucky enough to have an uninterrupted streak of good luck and successive successes throughout our lives.  It is a law of nature, nothing can be taken for granted.  One thing or the other is bound to not go our way, unexpected situations can develop any time, that is life.

Another way of looking at experience is that different people have different experiences in life.  Older people may feel smug about the fact that they have seen everything, been through all facets of life, and so can give opinions and advice which are bound to prove right, if not immediately then at least in the long run.  However, they must not forget that what they have been through in life might not always be the same for everyone.  Maybe they made some mistakes or were not quick enough to grasp at some opportunity which another person could have handled differently.

Therefore, the younger generation deserves equal respect and have the right to choose whatever path they feel right as long as they handle it responsibly and are willing to take face the consequences for their own actions and be able to live with it.

[Comments very much appreciated.  Thanks!]