Week 9
Wisdom
I chose the topic about wisdom this week because it is something I see us as a culture loosing touch with. I am very lucky that I have learned a lot from caring for my Grandparents in their later stages of life. Although caring for the elderly can be overwhelming, the gifts of wisdom they can provide is very much overlooked these days. I disagree with the text book when it talks about how research shows that age and wisdom have no association with each other? I do agree when it talks about how older people can act wiser in given situations. The text book talks about the four characteristics of wisdom based on research of interviews with young people, middle age people and the older generation. Of the four characteristics I think the one that states "Wisdom is knowledge with extraordinary scope, depth, balance that is applicable to specific situations" is the most correct meaning. I would like to know more about the topic in general regarding what wisdom truly is defined as in the eyes of the elderly. If I could do more research on this topic I would love to see more programs designed to put younger people together with older people and have open discussion forums. I would like to see our education systems include more interaction with the elderly. I think young children have become more and more detached from the elderly because they are not exposed to them as much as they were decades ago. I know that when I cared for my Grandparents, I learned so much from them just by taking the time to listen to what they had to say, listening to the ways they made it through difficult times in their lives. I think we could all benefit from listening to our older generation, now we just have to figure out how to make the time to do so.
Your blog this week made me really reflect on my own life as far as interacting with my grandparents. I cannot remember any time as I was growing up that I was able to just hang out or take care of my grandparents. Now that I am older and with a child myself I don't want my child robbed of this opportunity to be their for my parents as they progress in age. I am almost sure that because you took care of your grandparents this gave you an advantage that I wasn't able to have and I would have loved to have that with my grandparents.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely kids nowadays are more detached from grandparents they teach us so much and it's so rewarding to hear the things the things they went through in life.
ReplyDeleteI always love reading your blogs. I agree that younger generation should work more with older generation. I feel that a lot of people disrespect or ignore the wisdom of the elderly. They been though more than a lot of people can grasp. I see a lot of elderly men that had no choice but to go to war and the wife's that were left to raise there children. My self can't imagine what they have been through and can greatly appericate what they have to teach.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you when you say that wisdom does come with age. I think about all the times that I have gone to my parents for advice, and they have a different perspective than me due to the fact that they have lived longer. My grandparents live in Sweden, but every time I go to visit them they tell me stories and give me advice. We really do need to take care of our elderly.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that widom comes with age. I have worked with the elderly before and I work with children now. The stories and lessons learned from the elderly I have worked with far exceed any wisdom a teenager or young adult can give me. Thanks for sharing. You always have very well thought out posts.
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