Neither. I think people are way too obsessed with age, and I hate all sorts of ageism. I never understood the idea that we should
respect the elderly, or people who are older than us, just because of their age. Why does that in itself warrant respect? What did they do that is so amazing and praiseworthy? They survived?
The idea of respecting older people is based on the assumption that they have more life experience, but that means nothing in itself, if the person hasn't learned anything from that experience. I've seen far too many examples that prove that older does not necessarily mean wiser. Some people are intelligent and learn from their experience and gain wisdom with age. Others are stupid when they are young and remain just as stupid when they get old, only they are even worse by that time because they become more set in their ways and incapable of change. So, age in itself doesn't mean a thing. Some older people are worthy of respect, others are not.
On the other hand, there is also that superficial, incredibly hypocritical cult of youth, which I have always despised. Where does that idea that the first gray hair and the first lines on one's face is a tragedy come from? (Funny thing, it's always relatively young people who are whining about feeling old - has media brainwashed everyone to that extent?) I call the cult of youth hypocritical, because we all know that all the power structures on Earth, the people who make decisions and control everything, are by and large middle-aged or elderly. They're the ones who are obsessed with youth, and they are the ones responsible for the cult of youth: politicians who take pictures with children, talk about what they will do for the future of our young people, and flaunt their young associates - usually ambitious sycophantic upstarts - in the public to show that their party is 'giving a chance to the young'; employers who hire young people only because they think they're easier to exploit; producers and executives who want to see (if not do more with) young faces and bodies on their film and TV screen; those who are targeting the (in)famous "coveted 18 to whatever demographics" by producing idiotic comedies, superficial teen soaps and what not. You'd think from the the media and the public that young people are the most privileged and adored part of the human race, when in fact, they're just valued for pretty and happy young faces and fresh young bodies that can be put on the screen, in a commercial, or in a catwalk, or on the sports ground, or used in a political campaign, or serve as a bit on the side, or get sent to war to fight and get killed... and they're in fact treated like children who don't get to have a say and aren't in control of anything. They're just supposed to be young and pretty and strong and happy and shut up and do as told. Then they're get older and either 1) do not become powerful, in which case they're likely to get screwed if they ever get in a situation to lose their job and need a new one at the age of 50, or 2) they become successful, powerful middle-aged people, and start thinking that their life is so difficult because of all that responsability they have, and start believing the myth of what a wonderful thing youth is, the time you're so carefree and can just have fun and not worry about anything... because they have by that time forgotten what it really is like and that it's absolutely not all that carefree or fun - or maybe it really was like that for them, so they never think that it's actually quite difficult or miserable for many other people.
/rant
As is often the case,
DevilEyes, you sum up a lot of my ideas on the subject (not all by any means but a lot) perfectly, and much better than I could myself.
There is indeed much hypocrisy to the human tendency for gerontocracy yet a simultaneous insistence on doing things supposedly for the sake of the young. As a young person myself, I know first hand that policies and social actions presented as "for the benefit of the young people" or "for the children" typically do more harm to these groups than good. The young, particularly children, are typically no more than pawns of the powerful and even, increasingly, their elders
no matter the power those adults possess. I certainly know my adolescence has been a mass of contradictions- adults praised me constantly for my outlook, my intelligence, my prospects, yet the whole time my society was giving me glaring signals of "you just keep your head down and nod along with what they say, no matter how nonsensical, or you'll be in trouble". "Fresh new perspectives" they say, only to berate you for failing to parrot the excepted norm.
Part of the problem as I see it is ideology and ideological control. Humans seek solidarity through ideological unity, and those ideologies are rarely interested in the realities of the present (or, sometimes, sadly, realities full stop). And of course to integrate successfully into human society, one must typically embrace these ideologies, these masks, these self-deceptions, and turn away from what one knew as an adolescent or even a child. You can't get far if you refuse to play by the rules. Becoming an adult means buying into the ideological system. Instead of the
consciousness maturing with adulthood, it seems to me the child's
imagination matures into serving its true purpose- that purpose being an enabling of self deception so as to embrace collective ideology over reality and thus successfully integrate into the "world" of the adult. The young, the children and adolescents, while lacking in experience, tend to see the world the way it is, at least how it is for them (and within reason of their more limited conscious faculties). They do not yet possess ideology in most cases- they have yet no real need for it, though the indoctrination starts early. How many times have I seen young children give astute answers as to their social reality only for adults to laugh good-naturedly and simultaneously acknowledge yet dismiss it with "out of the mouths of babes"? It leaves me with my head in my hands.
Listen to them, because not only is what they perceive essential information to you if you truly care about them, but often they're describing their world as it truly is, free from the tyranny of "what we want to see it as". The social environment the young grow up in- their genuine reality- lacks merit in human societies, though, because the ideology of the adult trumps it. I must say here I of course see
nothing wrong in theory with the authority of the elder- of course the adult should have authority over the adolescent or the child. The problem is, the adolscent- if intelligent- often sees more clearly than the adult by virtue of not yet having entered the adult sphere, which requires acceptance of ideology. Yet they lack experience, and desperately want it. There is nothing the intelligent adolescent wants more than to have their elders teach and guide them, yet nothing more frustrating because most don't truly teach, only indoctrinate. I've experienced first-hand- and seen in many other adolescents- the sheer frustration in dealing with adults, particularly the middle-aged. And it's usually the intelligent adolescents who feel it, because they are the ones who most want to embrace the wisdom of their elders.
So, many of these adolescents cave in and become adults by embracing ideology and throwing aside what they know to be their truth. I nearly fell into the same trap myself. I remember being 13-14, or around that age, and
deliberately deluding myself in order to spout out the "reality" of the adults around me, which I
knew did not match the reality of my own experience, my own life. I very nearly started valuing their fantasy world over my own genuine reality, so strong was the desire to "learn from" and emulate the elders. Luckily I grew out of it- and that isn't an arrogant assertion that "I know best". I'm a university student- learning from those with more experience and knowledge is practically my job. But, as with most intelligent people who refuse to buy into the ideological fantasies, I am to all intents and purposes an outcast, with little hope of true achievement and little hope of power as I mature (and so the opportunity to change things). The adolescent who can navigate to adulthood and remain in possession of their truth and continue seeing things as they are (or at least, as they are
for him/her) is a rare commodity. One that is not valued, and remains undervalued into maturity and old age.
I say the young need to fully and
genuinely mature, which sadly all too often involves having the courage to resist the impositions of the elder, to learn without converting. Then, when they reach adulthood, they can mature properly, their years of experience being meaningful by virtue of
genuinely reflecting true experience rather than years of living in a self-deceptive bubble. The individual who can actually continue to be governed by understanding of his/her surroundings and reality, who is governed by consciousness not ideology, will mature into a "wise" elder who is qualified to truly teach and guide the young.
Basically, I say the young
should be guided by the wisdom of the old, and indeed are usually
eager for guidence and role models. The problem is the old need to actually acquire wisdom first, which they all too typically do not. And rather than understanding the world their children are growing up in, they relate to the world as they've
learnt to see it, which if it was ever correct in the first place, is now likely hopelessly out of date. Those with the power to change things and run things are blind- often willfully so- to the reality, because ideology trumps experience and the search for social solidarity trumps the search for personal understanding and truth. So our societies are always three steps behind themselves, responding to problems that don't exist or no longer exist and ignoring those that are wreaking havoc
now. Ironically, the only ones who typically see are the young who lack the experience and knowledge to truly do anything about those problems. They can point and complain, but rarely advise, and thus are ignored or dismissed. Those who see lack experience and need advice. Those who should be in the position to bring experience to bear on the problem and to give the young advice are blind to reality (that was the price they paid for full admittance into adult human culture).
So,
in theory and
ideally, I have
great respect for the aged. In practice, a great many young people eager to learn and achieve and move into the adult sphere are pressured into doing so by sacrificing consciousness in favour of ideology, so giving up the chance to truly become wise. It's a pattern I'm convinced our people need to break out of, and it starts, paradoxically and in opposition to both our customs and our natural desires (for the young typically
want to learn from the old) with the mature actually listening to and learning from the young.
