It’s easy to admire the young. They are energetic and nice looking. If you watch much television or go to movies, you might think everyone is young. Young folks are pretty much all you see.
In our society we hide older folks away. Betty White has a new program on television in which old folks play pranks on younger ones. But the old folks are portrayed as senile at worst and out of touch at best. The message of the program seems to be “take a look at older folks, they’re so out of touch that they’re funny.”
As a society we lose much by hiding away older folks. For years we did the same thing to women or those of a different color. Our society is better since we have recognized the value of “minorities.” But we can’t seem to learn that message about older people.
In our fascination with the “latest and greatest” we have lost respect for the “tried and true.” Someone who is “too old” to use a smart phone, text or even use email, may be the smartest of all. Instant communication is great but there is value in one to one talk. Work used to be more physical and we were healthier. Wisdom was more valued than information. Family was more important than social networked “friends.” People could stand to be a room in which no television was on. People could have a meal without checking texts or emails.
We need energy and a fresh approach in our churches. But we also need the experience and wisdom that comes with age.
Sometimes I think the young are frankly afraid of older people. They can’t understand couples that have been together for forty or more years. They know deep inside that Andy Griffith and I Love Lucy might be better than Two and a Half Men or Desperate Housewives. The Spirit may be telling them that being a Post Christian society isn’t going to be so great. Maybe tolerance sounds better than it really is. Maybe some things just shouldn’t be tolerated. We fear what we don’t understand and many young today no longer understand values that drove society just a few years ago.
Maybe things like Fire and Brimstone, Sin, and Repentance shouldn’t be just abandoned. Maybe saluting the flag, going to church and working for a living are pretty good things.
Maybe beauty is just skin deep. Maybe there is something to be learned from those who have lived long and grew up in different, and maybe better times.
Maybe honoring and listening and loving the elderly is a pretty good idea.
Maybe I’m just getting old.
Be blessed.
Nick
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