It’s often said that the older you get, the wisest you become, that we should

respect and listen to the elders because they’ve lived enough time to know what
they are talking about. This could mean that younger people are still inexperienced,
that knowledge comes with time. So, if it’s true, how much can we learn from older
people?

Anthropologists agree that the role of elders for natives was essential: they were in
charge of the transmission of knowledge to the following generations. Keeping in
mind that, centuries ago, writing hadn’t been discovered yet, this particular role
was very important. Nowadays, grandparents are still respected and we are used
to hear their stories at a family table.

However, accepting all what elders say without any doubt isn’t a critical attitude. As
young people, we have the power, and the duty, of changing things. Accepting
previous knowledge sometimes ends in conservatism, in an irrational fear of
change.

In conclusion, it seems clear to me that older people’s knowledge is very important

for the young, because is the way we can continue with values, but we must accept
them with criticism, so that they could be modified, in case it were necessary.