Never underestimate the power of storytelling.

Growing into ageism

When is the point we become “old”?
You are too old.
And too young.
And at the wrong place.

(So for George, I seem to be lost in time & space).

Why the sudden question about “old”? It happened. I don't mean a grey hair or wrinkles or back pain.
I mean looking at a young person and thinking
“Yeah, you don't know better yet. You're too young. Let's ignore what you think.”

Well dealing with it is a waste of your time. Ignoring a youngster's silly opinion is effective budgeting of everybody's time. It's adulting.

I never wanted to swap onto that side of the table. Ignoring an opinion without a statement, silencing a contribution without challenging it.
But why invest the hassle of challenging it?
If I am as correct as I smugly believe, it shouldn’t be a hassle to express that, should it?
Still a hassle... and they might talk back.

Well, so do I when one of my voiced opinions gets challenged. I mean, which “side” of which “table” am I sitting on anyway? There's a table between me and the youngster, as well as a table between me and my older, more experienced peers.
I basically became “middle management” of the age ladder!!
Which explains the grey hair and the wrinkles...

“Treat others just as you want to be treated.”

[Luke 6:31]

I didn't expect you to quote the bible. Are we running out of arguments?

On the contrary.
There is no reason to not quote the bible simply because it is in the bible.
As there is equally no reason to ignore an opinion simply because its owner is younger than me.
As there is no reason why I can't get older without growing into ageism.


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