Wisdom Vs. Power

In most cultures, aging means gaining wisdom. The more people aged, the more respect they'd receive. Older adults have often been looked upon for guidance, as they have many years of life experience. In general, the elderly held the highest seniority. In many circumstances, only the seniors would be put in places of power.

In today's American society, aging is the enemy. Surgeries, creams, and injections are used to make aging less apparent. When people age into their 40's, it is not seen as entering another stage of life; it is seen as the final leap towards death. Somehow, the youth has been given full reign of the economy. Young people seem to think that they need no authority, much less to respect authority. Parents are finding it harder than ever to gain control of their children. Angry teenagers are rebelling more and more in non-healthy ways. Promiscuity, under aged drinking, drug abuse, and violent behavior is quickly becoming the image of the younger generation.

General rebellion of the youth of the world has always existed, and can be very healthy if expressed correctly. It seems that a variable has been changed in American society that has aided the youth in turning in a negative direction. Simply put, the power in this country seems to be shifting away from the wise and towards the able-bodied. Politicians are entering the field younger and younger. Well-established figures in the business world are cast aside to bring in fresh, young people who will keep companies “in touch with the world today”.

Elderly are no longer looked upon for advice. A common said reason for this is that many feel that they wouldn't understand today's issues. The elderly have been through childhood, rebellion, rejection, joy, hard decisions, pain, grief, turmoil, financial problems, moral issues, family matters, and so much more; just like every other human on this planet. The only difference is that they not only experienced those instances, but they've seen the outcomes of those situations. This is the obvious reason why older adults can hold answers to some of life's biggest questions. He problem, however, is that no one wants to ask them those questions.

Senior Citizens are not properly taken care of in this country. Elders are no longer the respected heads of the household. Instead they are put away in nursing homes and forgotten. These are the people who have worked their whole lives for their families and future generations, and who have struggled through unimaginable things so that today's generation could thrive. These are the people who are visited a handful of times by their “families”, and who pay their whole lives savings to simply exist in a neglecting facility. This is NOT what America is about. This is also NOT what life is about.

People generally go into this world the same way they go out of it. At both times in life, people need to be loved, nurtured, and taken care of. They need to be helped. Life comes full circle. Just as parents can learn from their children, children learn from their parents. Just as parents clothe, bathe, feed, and love their children, children often need to return the favor for their parents.

This is a natural process. If something is not changed soon, this world will continue on a downward spiral of self-destruction. Real guidance is rarely sought, so it will rarely be found. Somehow this world has turned backwards. Surely, today's youth will see this themselves when they are lying alone in a nursing home, wondering when they lost their power, and wondering why no one will ask them to share the answers they have found in life.