Listen to your elders, not because they are always right but rather because they have the most experience at being wrong.
Nobody gets it right all the time, but our parents, grandparents and the older generation have all ‘been there, done that’. That is why they have more wisdom than us, not because they are perfect (even if we think they are) but because they’ve already tried and figured it out.
The aging population has seen so much in their lifetime that it entitles them to give us advice. If we ignore the advise we often make the same mistakes they made, and some mistakes can be a doozy. We get so caught up in wanting to be right ourselves that we ignore the advice and end up in a mess that could have been avoided.
I’m finding the younger generation are not as interested in what their elders have to say, nor are they interested in the history of their family. The reality is that many in this generation want all the glory now, without paying dues, without understanding long term consequences of their decisions and with no regard for others. I say this as a generalization because I know some are in fact very interested and do listen and learn; these are the ones that will end up carrying this generation. I know some amazing young people and some who just care about themselves. Perhaps this is somewhat true of all of us at some point in our early years.
Even when our elders are gone and no longer living, we can hear their voice, it lies within our consciousness; a place we gain strength, courage and integrity from. If, however we did not take the time to listen to the stories of days gone by, we have no one to blame but ourselves. They are not always recorded and with the death of a parent or grandparent they become lost forever, no longer available to the future.
Life is hard at times, no one promised it would be easy but there is help, by heeding their advice we can bypass some problems. Do yourself a favour while you still can and listen to your elders.