Tell me something. Why should you respect someone because they are old? That’s silly. Age doesn’t equate to wisdom. Age doesn’t equate to intelligence. Age doesn’t equate to ANYTHING. It is simply a count, a number, not worthy of any type of respect. I respect people who are respectful. I respect intelligence. I don’t care how much money you make. I don’t care if your dad is a professor in sociology. I don’t care if you’re upper management. And I certainly don’t give a rats behind because you are old. Have a cookie.
The most actualized person I’ve ever met was a 21 year old pickup artist from Australia named Alex back when I was 25. I’ve also learned from a homeless cancer survivor who runs marathons named Gwen. Lawyers, single parents, club promoters, directors and musicians, the list goes on. Respect. I learn more from watching children play or animals be animals than most old people. 22 year old UFC fighter Jon “Bones” Jones said something amazing after his fight with Brandon Vera the other day along the lines of “The biggest waste in life is human potential, and I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen to me.” which is absolute GOLD. GOLD. Why would you listen to a guy with a nick name “Bones”? Uh, maybe because its good wisdom.
And yet, people listen to scam artists like Dr. Phil because he’s a doctor. This guy has books out about weight loss. And he’s fat! Give me a BREAK. Respect is rarely given equally, although it probably should be. Instead, you hear conventional wisdom from mostly old people telling you to respect old people simply because they are old. And yet old timers, some of the most rigid, stuck in their ways, bitter, most prejudice people on the planet want respect without actually earning it. I heard Al Gore give a climate change talk in Toronto last winter about some of the political problems of moving things forward, and he basically said the biggest problem was old people. He said that the young people were game, it is their future at stake afterall, who were ready for change but the old people make it difficult to push things forward. Jokingly, he said if we wait long enough the old people will all be gone and the young guns will be in charge, but by that time it will be too late.
How many times have your parents or grandparents given you some of the worst advice imaginable? In my own life, I’ve lost count to be honest. They spent their whole lives working their tails off trying to provide and protect that they don’t actually let us figure things out for ourselves. To do it smarter, faster, more efficient. How about politicians? ALL OLD. Where is the respect for young people and their ideas? Present a new solution, and there is resistance. We all see this consistently with older people and much less so with the younger crowd. Respect your elders? Nah, respect awesomeness (person, place, or thing).