Quote From: valorenI'm 45 and lucky to be alive. I was a bit of a wild child in my youth and much of what I did should have killed me, but I'm still here. I'm struggling with many issues, but age isn't one of them.
When I was growing up, the older you were, the more respect you commanded. I'm a Southern farm kid and was raised to be quiet and listen to my elders. There are times when that isn't really the appropriate way to treat a child - I was molested for about 14 years and no one would listen or believe because I was a child - but all things considered, it really was better for me to be "seen and not heard". Had I been a loudmouth, I'd have missed the most wonderful stories, so much family history, and so much laughter from the adults around me. By keeping quiet and listening, I learned that older people really were wiser than the rest of us and if I really wanted to learn (I wanted to know everything as a child) then I'd listen to my elders. I'm glad I was raised that way.
Now, that having been said, I wanted nothing more as a child than to get old. I wanted to be one of the wise people, one who was respected. I knew that I'd only get respect if I got old and wise. I wanted to be someone others turned to for advice, someone who had, if not all the answers, then at least a lot of them.
The older I get, the more respect I get from young people, though not nearly as much as older people got when I was a child. Still, it's better than what I got when I was a kid. Young people actually listen to me now. I'm grateful for that, and grateful that the idiot stunts I tried as a kid didn't kill me. Every additional year means just a little bit more respect, just a little more knowledge, and a little more wisdom.
I still want to know everything, I want to learn learn learn.....I have more books than the law should allow. Looks be damned, I want to know more about the world, about life. I don't care about gray hair, wrinkles or saggy boobs, I care what's in my head and my heart. The rest is just window dressing and almost completely irrelevent to WHO I am.
I'm grateful for every birthday because it means I'm still alive, and as long as I'm alive, I still have a chance to learn and maybe even to grow. The "growing" part is why I came here. :-)
Maybe that's trite, I don't know. I do know that it's true. I want to keep getting older, and I hope someday I'll be as respected as old people were when I was growing up.
Valoren
Valoren -
I just have to tell you that I totally agree with everything you have said in the above message. I just happened by chance to read it. This is the first time I have ever been on Dr. Phil's website. Unlike you, I do sometime worry about my appearance. Although, I wish that I didn't. The other statements you made about how our generation was raised is so accurate. I just wish this generation thought the way that we do but I have accepted the fact that they do not. I just hope and pray that my husband and I have raised our children in such a way that they do think this way. Thanks, you did an excellent job in stating how you feel and hopefully some of the younger generation will read it to see what the "older" generation was like in case they have lost touch.
Nancy
