Something that really frustrates me is that everyone treats everyone else based on their age (among many other things). We can’t help it. You see a 13 year old boy and figure he’s starting to find his little social niche, going through puberty, and starting to realize that his dad is sooo lame. That may be overly specific, but we still treat people differently based on their age. What bothers me is when people assume that someone’s intelligence and wisdom is proportional to their age.
I’ve noticed quite a few people about a generation above me who don’t seem to challenge their beliefs. They seem satisfied with what they know, and will often argue to defend it, but they rarely seem willing to be wrong. Well that seems odd… in the long run, those unwilling to be wrong will end up wrong more often because they refuse to learn. That’s why I always chuckle in my head when I hear something about “the woman is always right”. Older people will naturally be wiser than younger people, but we never gain all the wisdom in the world, so why stop learning?
There’s so much to life that’s easy to miss in our society! It’s so easy to get caught up in your work, family, politics, school, whatever. But if you choose to stop seeking wisdom, you end up being a 25 year old kid in a 50 year old body with a lot of junk rattling around your brain.
It’s okay to admit that you’re wrong, and I would even say that it shows maturity and humility. Plus, then you learn! Also, challenging your beliefs and others’ leads more quickly to understanding than most (if not all) other methods.
I’ve decided to put a serious amount of effort into making sure that I’m never content with whatever “wisdom” I contain at any point of my life. Knowledge and understand are such valuable things, we can’t afford to ignore them while we’re busy teaching the next generation to fall into the same patterns.
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” ~John 8:32
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