This article has been brewing for some time. In all honesty, it could be several articles because the topic it is so vast in its importance. As we approach Thanksgiving, let’s consider this; the wisest people I know are all older than I am. In other words, the young do not have wisdom. I realize this may offend some, but it will only be those who are young and don’t have the wisdom to see the truth in it….kind of ironic.
If we look at the basic dictionary definition of wisdom, we get things like….”understanding what is true, right and lasting,” “the sum of learning through the ages,” “the development of common sense,” etc. So it is commonly agreed that it takes a life lived over some degree of great time to develop wisdom, and yet we live in a culture that works pretty hard at disregarding our elders.
In today’s culture we are enamored with technology and the activities of the young. We see this from the “child-centered” family who has bought hook, line, and sinker that their life is defined by how “happy” they keep their children, to the technological intrusion of IPhones and tablets of every make and model. If you don’t have a basic understanding of how to download apps or navigate Siri, you are considered behind the times. We have confused having the skill to navigate through the menus on an electronic device with any meaningful ability to navigate life itself. Remember, as a friend pointed out to me recently, even a 5 year old can work an IPhone.
Consequently, we end up with adults who know no purpose in life beyond their children and we evaluate the worthiness of individuals based on their connection and management of current technology. We have become endlessly surrounded by those who aspire to elevate the young and their activities…in essence we are aspiring to be young. We even have in the modern church, youth pastors that can no longer be differentiated from the youth they are attempting to reach. They dress, speak, and act the same. I am still not sure how you lead someone through a corrupt culture by becoming a part of it. We are to be” in”, but not “of” the world.
Not too long ago the goal was to be older. We had “rites of passage”….since I am a guy I remember those guy things…getting my first pocket knife, wallet, gun, dress suit, etc. These were things that were not just given, but earned. It was a goal to get older, demonstrate I could handle things and be trusted, earn the right to have the privilege. The very idea was that to age was good, important, had value beyond being young. Yet today, it is attacked on most fronts.
There are both subtle and not so subtle messages that being older has little value and they are all around us. We have adds for low Testosterone, low libido, HGH, every form of plastic surgery, etc. All of these are most commonly normal processes of aging and yet the unspoken message is that getting old is in and of itself bad. Then we have retirement age. We actually have a corporate message that once you are near or have reached 65, you are really no use to the vast majority of the population. It is no wonder that we have the largest population of depressed elderly in this country than we have ever had. More depressed elderly than during any of our Word Wars, the Great Depression, before automobiles or electricity. We are telling them they are useless.
One hallmark of a “progressive” society is how it treats both ends of the spectrum of life….with less meaning. It has been easy to see for years what our culture thinks of the unborn, but we also have a similar message for the elderly. The only way the “progressive” movement can grow is to have a culture detach from a foundation of morals and virtue…..it is our elders who are the holders of wisdom and tradition. Honoring those who have come before us, those who know the connections between life and the real, physical world of God’s Creation, are the ones we should value. It is one thing to know we “can” do something, with all of our techno advances, but quite another to know whether we “should” do something.
This “Truth” is bound up more in those who are our elders than anyone under the age of 40. To be frank, our elders are not just valuable, they have more to contribute that is vital for our culture and children, than any of other ages. I would rather spend time with my elders than my own peers….they know more that is valuable.
This Thanksgiving, as you sit around the table with parents and grandparents, realize it is an opportunity to engage the holders of great wisdom and important traditions. Ask them about their childhoods, first jobs, squirrel hunting (whatever their interests may be etc.) This will be more valuable information for your life than you know. The wise are truly all around us, they are easy to recognize…..they are older.
– Keith McCurdy
