Do you really become wiser as you age? I have heard this saying more times than I could count and I have grown up believing in those words. However, I have now come to doubt this saying as I have not seen it necessarily come into play in my life. I have instead seen people become more stubborn and uncompromising as they grow. I mean honestly. As we move from middle to high school, we become more thirsty for independence and as our thirst grows we begin to break rules we think should not pertain to us. Most often, our decisions are reckless and stupid because we feel that we are old enough to decide on what happens in our life. We brush aside advice and become defensive when our faults are pointed out. We yearn for the day we are able to move out and not have parents nagging and watching our every move. In our push for independence and rush to grow, we fail to just take our time and bask in our youth and so we make decisions that are stupider and stupider as the days go with no consideration of the consequences.
What I have witnessed in adults is almost similar and sometimes worse than the mistake we teens make in our lives. They believe that their years make them more knowledgeable than we the youth, and that belief is toxic. I don't think I'm the only teen to be shut down when talking about a subject in the midst of adults because they believe that what I have to say is irrelevant. Yes, we may be young but we are not stupid. The younger generation is always looked down on because the older generation do not see the sense in all that we do. This mindset makes it impossible for them to see the contribution that we can make and are making to society. This mindset also makes many adults reluctant to also admit that they are wrong especially to a younger person. Pride always comes into play and it inhibits growth as a person. The feelings of we the younger generation are never considered because adults feel they know best and sometimes their decisions leave lasting and sometimes damaging effects on our psyche.
So do we really become wiser as we age? Or do we become dumber, hard-headed, and stubborn?
I say the latter.
Yes, we do go through a lot more as we grow. We face more obstacles and have experiences that shape us. However, those experiences become pointless if we do not truly reflect and understand that it cannot be used as a shield and weapon to defend your actions. We should rather keep those experiences in mind and accept the input of others in our life. Its OK to admit being wrong and its OK to accept advice. It just goes to show true growth and maturity in a person. So I say...
The More Understanding You Are, The Wiser You Become.
