Thursday, February 14, 2008

Age and (dis)Respect

One thing I've been noticing lately about young people around me is that they don't respect the elderly. They act as if those individuals somehow decided to get old and live with the consequences of an aging mind and body. The young seem to feel superior because their minds are "fresh" and their bodies are energetic. I think this bothers me so much because of my own grandparents.

My Grandma and Grandma McC. showed me that time, along with experience, brings knowledge and with knowledge (and a proper understanding of Scripture by which to frame that knowledge), comes wisdom. When my grandparents told me in detail about their lives, relationships, about the wars they fought (including WWII) and the sacrifices that they made, it was obvious that they were once very much as youthful and energetic as me. They had not chosen to grow old, but time had crept up on them and, though it stole their youth, it enriched them with wisdom and understanding. When I think of time passing and the natural progression of aging that never ceases, I relish the example that my grandparents have set for me.

1 comment:

rj said...

was just listening to the (country) song 'they don't understand' by sawyer brown, have you heard it? it made me think of your blog about respecting elders & understanding others beyond our own preconceived notions... ;)