Appreciating the lessons from the elderly

I remember as a child, listening to my mom and dad speak, listening to grannies and grandpas talk about in their day…. How things were so cheap. How people were so much better. How society was so bad. And thinking…. What on earth do you know?

Now, I am 42. I look around. At my friends’ children. At my own children. And I think… wow. When I was that age, it sure was different. I look at prices and think… when I started driving, I could fill my whole car with R50! I look at the way people speak to each other. I observe the anger, the aggression, and I think… when did people start behaving this way?

So… I guess what I am saying, is that I am now, elderly by default. Does that make me wrong? Absolutely not. Does it make the rest of the world wrong? No. It just means that the times are changing. Very rapidly.

Whole societies, whole cultures, the whole of civilisation in fact, is based on stories. Stories passed down from their elders. Folklore. Myth. Rumours. All filter down to the next generation and opinions are formed. Forming a basis of culture. Of belief. These lessons teach us who we are, where we come from, and help us decide who we want to be.

So the next time somebody tells you how they had to walk barefoot, 50 kms to school, listen to them. don’t roll your eyes. See if there is a lesson in there for you. a reason to celebrate or appreciate. Remember, getting old is not a luxury afforded to everybody.