Friday, November 07, 2003
Age Means Nothing
There is a woman in my class, "Jane Doe," who does not like to disclose her age, because she, too, is a "nontraditional" student.
"Why?" I ask. Is it a vanity thing? Is she ashamed of her age? She’s not any older than me, so I wanted to know if
I’m considered "old" compared to our classmates.
"I just don’t feel like being labeled."
What? ? ? I thought.
C’mon, people here are above judging each other by age. W'’re not that old, anyway. It's not a big deal--people perceive you by who you are
, not by your age.
I thought her secrecy was a bit unreasonable.
But then I thought about another older person in our class who
does judge others by age.
Ahh, perhaps Jane doesn't want to be associated with older folks who treat the 22-year olds like sheltered little children. You see, we have a classmate who frequently implies that s/he is more enlightened about life, business and the ways of the world than some of the young people in our class. S/he also publicly and specifically picks on the nicest students in class, implying that their ideas are naive, the things they say are ignorant, and their practical knowledge is lacking--proving to me that one doesn't have to be young to be stupid.
I've heard this kind of crap before. In fact, I've heard it all my life. Whether you're two or twenty years younger than someone, you get to hear all about how you know nothing of the "real world" or "You'll see when you’re my age. . ." These people must believe that "if it's true for me, it's true for everyone." But now that I finally
am a little older, I look back and realize that I still don't see things the way these "advice-givers" predicted I would.
So what prompts this "you're so young and dumb" attitude--is it arrogance, resentment towards youth (regret/jealousy or because some young’uns
are not being raised well), or is it a sincere belief that age and experience automatically bring wisdom?
I try not to assume that I'm any smarter than anyone younger than me, no matter what the age gap, because I have seen too many "kids" in
my short-lived experience of the "real world" who have lived more life in twelve or seventeen years than I'll live in sixty. Likewise, many of my classmates who are 21 or 22 demonstrate levels of maturity, integrity and professionalism I can only aspire to.
C'mon old folks, let's give the kids some credit. (and stop calling them "kids". . .my bad. )
You can have 15 years of experience, or you can have one year of experience fifteen times.
- Anonymous
