‘You should always listen to your elders’
‘I have been in this world longer than you have’
‘Old ways are the best’
Just how many times have you been told ‘Older makes you wiser’? A little too many times, isn’t it? But is that any true?
Let’s consider a scenario: At work, you have been assigned a difficult & unusual task, for which you need to consult someone for help. You have one of two people you can approach:
Person 1) A 50-year-old man who has 20 years of corporate experience and has stayed in the same job all his life.
Person 2) A 30-year-old man who has worked with multiple companies and start-ups in the past, in various different roles.
In such a scenario – sure, person 1 is older and has been present in the company (and in the world) for a long time now, but doesn’t person 2 seem to have more experience in dealing with unusual situations? Would you still prefer age over experience?
Consider scenario no. 2: You had an argument with your partner, and you need advice on how to fix things with them. You have one of two people who approach you:
Person 1) A 60-year-old woman who has had a successful marriage and seen her fair share of problems
Person 2) A 30-year-old woman who is struggling with relationships but is more in tune with the problems that today’s relationships face
Maybe you go with person 1 because things have worked out well for her. Maybe you go for person 2 because they are more in tune with modern-age relationship issues.
The point being – older does not necessarily mean wiser. . A young kid who has had a great deal of success with various ups & downs, could have seen more in life than an elderly person who has had a stable job all his life. A young woman who has broken taboos and made her way through to a successful career could be wiser than a lady who has had a happy comfortable life all along.
We all need to keep an open mind – people younger to us can teach us a lot of things which we never could have thought of.
Bottom line – don’t judge a book by its cover (or its age)