Youth
and Age
“Age
considers; youth ventures.” Rabindranath Tagore
I
heard an interview on NPR yesterday with a group of The Elders. It
was about the problems of the Middle East, which has been their focus this year. The Elders is a group of older people, first gathered
in 2007 by Nelson Mandela at the request of entrepreneur, Richard
Branson, and musician, Peter Gabriel. They use their prominence as
world leaders and elder statesmen to work on changing entrenched
traditions like child marriage and child labor. The Elders includes
such people as Jimmy Carter, Mary Robinson, first female president of
Ireland, Desmond Tutu, Kofi Annan, and Lakhadar Brahimi. In the
interview, Jimmy Carter made a comment that impressed me as true;
when asked whether The Elders felt frustrated that the problems in
the region are so intractable, and progress is so slow. He said, in
essence, that they were all old enough to not get frustrated.
I
am not comparing youth and age in order to say that one is better
than the other. We have need of both. I remember myself as a young
person, and recall how I would dash into a situation with all
possible speed and with the necessary energy to create change. Young
people are movers and shakers. With their very vitality, they change
the world every day. But there is a place for older people and the
patience they bring to any situation; they are able to hear all sides
and to work toward agreement by taking slow steps in the right
direction. I certainly didn't have the forbearance for that plodding
pace as a young person. Did you?
In
most parts of the world, elders are revered and respected for their
wisdom and life experience. This particular group reminds me a little of the
Native American tradition of gathering of the Grandmothers and Grandfathers, the
Council of Elders that was consulted when the tribe had an important
decision to make. Youth has knowledge and energy, age has experience
and wisdom. Together we should be able to make the world a better
place for all.
In
the spirit,
Jane
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