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It’s a common idea in many cultures that we should respect our elders. As a result of having lived for many years, goes the cultural trope, they’ve accumulated wisdom and knowledge. Therefore, young people should, depending on one’s culture, either listen to elders attentively or simply defer to and accept their decisions—without an argument.
As I approach retirement in a few months, I’ve found myself wondering if this common assumption really makes much sense.
What triggered me to ask this question was an episode of the 1960’s television classic, The Twilight Zone, called, “The Obsolete Man.” In a seemingly fascist future society with little use for books and knowledge, a humble librarian is sentenced to death on the grounds that he and his occupation are obsolete. While I’m neither a fan of fascism nor the death penalty, after watching the episode (with my 87-year-old father, I might add) I was troubled. Maybe, I thought, at 60—I’m obsolete.