OLD PEOPLE
In the midst of racing through life, we often dismiss the wisdom and knowledge acquired by those who have many more years of experience. Those people are often referred to as “old people”. This technically could be defined as anyone older than you but we’re mostly talking about the older generation for the blog purpose.
They seem to slow you down. They are out of date with technology. They are often in your way. Their driving isn’t always the best. They often require additional attention and care. They take lots of random pills. They sometimes seem like they just want to ruin all of your fun. They think hard candy with pocket lint on it is acceptable. I could list a lot of things here that are often referred to when talking negatively about old people and many of them just aren’t appropriate enough to discuss. Don’t forget that you too will one day be old and someone will be making fun of you for things often out of your control…although often true. You reap what you sow!
Many times old people get written off way too quickly. The older generation has a plethora of knowledge they have acquired over the years and it would be wise to give them a listening ear from time to time. They may not know about the latest technology or be able to compete with you in your favorite sport but their knowledge can be applied to your innovative ideas to keep you grounded as you pursue your dreams. We may not always agree with everything they have to say and it may even take a bunch of boring stories to get to the punch-line but the bits of knowledge sprinkled in the mix are priceless and shouldn’t be ignored.
In addition to the wisdom and knowledge our older generations can provide, they have earned the right to be given a reasonable level of respect. If they were physically and legally allowed to smack us upside the head each time we were disrespectful, we would all be in serious trouble I’m sure. If someone is blessed to live into their 70s, 80s, 90s or even 100, they deserve to be given a little grace and maybe even a helping hand at times. We shouldn’t treat them as though they are just buying time until they die. We should be treating them as though they are blessed to still be kickin’ and do our best to make them more comfortable and excited about the time they have left on this earth. We’re not all called to work in nursing homes or assume full time care for our elderly but we can make a difference in the little things. Find and old person and creatively bless them today… and be respectful for goodness sake.
Proverbs 13:20 “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools suffers harm”