Older Adults and Youth: Connecting the Past and the Future in the Present

 

Image by COD Newsroom
via Creative Commons

I have observed a stereotype that older adults talk about the past with the evaluation that they do so too much.  When someone is 80 years old, they have a lot more past behind them than future in front of them. 

Personally, I enjoy talking to people who have skill sets and a knowledge base that I do not have.  It’s fascinating to hear people report on time periods, places, and events that I have never experienced.  Older adults function like living libraries. 

I have worked in higher education for over four decades, and I have noticed that young adults tend to talk a lot about the future. They can spend a lot of time sharing their plans on what they are going to do.  They have a lot more future in front of them than past behind them.

Over the years, the age difference between the traditional college-aged student and my age has widened gradually. I could be impatient about the blueprints they have to build castles—seemingly in the air. However, I learn a lot about the rising generation and some of the growth industries and technologies that I have not studied.  Young adults are the stewards of the future, including my future. If I live long enough to achieve frailty, I will be dependent to a large degree on people younger than I.    

Instead of being impatient that older people live in the past and younger people focus too much on the future, people have the opportunity to embrace meeting in the present. Intergenerational communication has the potential of strengthening everyone. We can respect and appreciate one another’s perspectives and build a shared reality instead of retreating into generation-specific silos. 

When was the last time that you talked to someone outside of your generation?  Typically, a generation is about 15 years.  Consequently, I see the span of 30 years as being a range where I could be a sibling to another: people 15 years younger to people 15 years older.

I find it invigorating to talk to people who are beyond that range. Right now, that means anyone in their 80s is comfortable outside of my generation. Alternatively, anyone below 40 is comfortably beyond my generation.  If I take the opportunity to ask questions and really listen, I always come away with new insights. It’s worth my time and attention to get outside of my age-mates and connect.

Related: 

Movies about Older Adults and Children

 Cyber Seniors: Film Review

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