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Thursday, April 22, 2010

When did grown-ups get so stupid?

When I was young I was taught that I had to respect my elders. They were the ones with the authority. More importantly, they held the wisdom of the ages. It only made sense that we should respect our elders. They were worthy of our respect.

Not so any more, apparently. Someplace between my childhood and today adults became foolish oafs. Doubt me? Look at any movie or television show today that involves children as main characters. You'll find in every case that these young little tots possess the wisdom of the ages. While foolish adults get caught up in foolish behavior, forgetting what is right or important, they are always set right by the sage advice of these astute ankle biters. It doesn't really seem to matter how old the adults are or how young the children are. Teenagers always know more than their parents. Young children are always more savvy than their babysitters. It never seems to fail.

You see, adults seem to have forgotten "the magic". Some stories hold that explicitly, of course, but it seems to be the theme. Adults think in terms of practicalities and logic and reason. Children, much more sagacious due, I suppose, to their vast life experience and higher learning capacities, are more in touch with their feelings. They will enlighten the adults that life ought not be lived rationally, but emotionally. You don't choose the right mate by thinking it through, for instance. No, no! You follow your heart. Duty and honor are far overrated. Living free is what is important. And rules are made to be broken, not followed. Where do foolish adults get silly notions like that? Follow rules ... sheesh! What nonsense! And children should be given what they want. It's only right. How could you think otherwise?

Other cultures still revere the older generation. Oriental societies think that older people have wisdom and younger people would do well to learn from them. Jewish homes used to teach their children "Honor your father and mother." Those silly Jewish people. They actually thought that "The glory of young men is their strength, And the honor of old men is their gray hair" (Prov 20:29). My, how fortunate we are to have evolved beyond that nonsense! Now we know that a lack of life experience and training serves much better. How lucky we are to have figured out the wisdom of children and the foolishness of adults. Such a shame that God was so confused about it, eh?

2 comments:

David said...

On that same note, Jonathan and I have been wondering when Christians got stupid. Prior to the Renaissance, Christians were the scientists and philosophers. They were the thinking men that searched for answers. Somewhere we lost it, and now its the seculars that are the scientists and philosophers, and the only answers us Christians can give is about some vague feeling or some emotion based faith.

Stan said...

Touché!