Hey guys, new podcast!

At the end of this podcast I will give you 4 exercises, ok? Here we go!

The Older, the wiser? Does age mean wisdom?

I often hear that we should listen to elder people because they are not only older but also wiser.

While it is important that we listen to the elder and respect them, is that really true? Are they really wiser? Is age the key factor to determine if someone is wise enough to be heard?

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying we should take old people for granted. But what is it that makes society feel like we should take their word into account? This is something I’ve always wondered. That’s why today’s podcast is about that. I want to share with you, my thoughts on this topic. We all know at least one old person. It might be a relative like a grandparent or an uncle, or even a neighbor. That old buddy you always see at the grocery store. That lovely nurse from a local hospital, an old teacher, I could go on and on.

Let’s try to understand why it is common sense they are wiser:

The first thing that comes to mind is Age.

I know this is the most obvious one, but stay with me, I have a good point. We believe old people are wiser because they have lived longer, hence the wisdom. However, if we see through this logic, they have also made more mistakes. Learning from your mistakes does not necessarily make you wiser because different people make different mistakes and learn different lessons from them. Besides, we never truly know if an old person has been able to really learn from their mistakes and life experiences. We take their word because of the cultural belief we have.

Now, what many of you may be wondering is: well, that’s exactly the point, because they have made so many mistakes, they can tell us by their own experience. We can’t make our decisions on what is wise or not based on other people’s experience.

We assume they have it all figured out:

Yes, we are inclined to believe old people have mastered the secret of a happy life. The truth is, they haven’t, many of them. Being old doesn’t mean you have understood the meaning of life. Being old just means you are on this journey for longer than the rest of us. Old people have as many life struggles as we do. So why would they be wiser?

It is pretty easy to spot one difference in behavior, though, which would explain why they are wiser. Older people tend to be more understanding and not get attached to details. Most of the times, they try to make peace with their loved ones, instead of keeping a grudge. This could be an indicator of wisdom, but not the main factor.

Wisdom comes with experience not just age

People often have the idea that wisdom is only achieved after having lived a long time on this earth. That’s not true. Experiences play an important role in becoming wiser. That’s another reason why we believe elders are wiser. As they have lived longer, they have had more experiences in life. However, as we are living more connected than ever and the new generations are more independent than ever, it is all about how you use your present time.  Different experiences will enable people, regardless of their age, to learn new lessons which will help them become wiser. Growing old is a way to have lived more experiences than others, but at the end of the day, it is how you put these experiences into practice that will make you a wiser old man or woman not only in the future but also at the present. It is all about the choices we make along the way that shapes us.

I hope you like this podcast. Do you have a different opinion? How about sharing it with me in the comments?

Now, I would like to give you some exercises!

Listen to the podcast again and write down two IDIOMS/EXPRESSIONS I used.

Then write down 5 adverbs I used

After that write down 3 connectors  I used.

QUESTION: What are the 3 reasons to why I believe Older people are not necessarily smarter?

Thanks, guys, this was another teacher Prix’s podcast. General subjects to help you improve your listening!

 

Teacher Prix.