As seniors reflect on the earlier pages of their book of life, they observe all of their experiences and how they have developed because of them. Just because a person surpasses another with age, the knowledge and wisdom they posses may not overshadow one’s own.
Though age and wisdom traditionally go hand and hand, that is not always the case. Our elders have gone through events similar to what is going on in our lives currently. The wisdom received by elders around me has never truly left a lasting impact on my life. I tend to obtain more from others relatively close to my own age because their actions seem more genuine and obtainable. Not only that, seeing young people passionately spreading their word is inspirational.
For example, 16-year-old Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teen who was shot by the Taliban on her way home from school, has made enormous impacts on how I treat the world and others around me. In her novel, “I Am Malala,” she discusses that if she were to be attacked she would throw her shoe at the attacker, but she would in turn be placed on the same level as her attacker. She shows that no matter the level of aggression or malice one faces, it cannot be met with similar reactions for there would be no way to end it. If this would have come to me through an elderly person, the words would have been interpreted as nothing serious. Another advocate for peaceful protest, Mahatma Ghandi, does not have the same impact on the current generation as he did in the past. The youth no longer resonate with his words because they come from another time.
The world is constantly morphing into something new. Societies develop for better or worse, politicians leave office and new arrive, and battles begin and end, so as youth, it is nearly impossible to live the same way our elders did. The experiences they had shaped them into the person they are, and they try to limit similar experiences in those younger. As young people grow, they should be able to live through the events that will allow them to become the person they should be.
Wisdom comes from the events people experience, but how the wisdom is being articulated and who is articulating it holds a major impact. Presentation holds an enormous impact, which is why U.S. Comic Relief uses countless celebrities in promotion for the organizations Red Nose Day. Companies and organizations are able to bring in a larger audience of youth by appealing to them with the slight exploitation of major celebrities instead of the organization's founder.
Wisdom is not reliant on age. With important events come wisdom for they open a new window of someone’s life. The elders tend to have more windows, but some have been cracked, shut or covered. People need validation and mental connections for the wisdom being presented to truly effect their lives.
