Whether or not, youngsters should tread along the beaten path followed by their previous generations is a debatable topic. Conservatives believe that adolescents should stick to the advice of their elders while progressives think that they should question the age old notions. In this essay I will shed some light on both sides of this debate.
Some people take the adage ‘old is gold’ quite literal. They believe that those of a mature age possessing the knowledge and wisdom that has been tried and tested. For instance, when I used to have a toothache as a young boy, my grandmother used to give me cloves to chew on. It used to work wonders and I would get better without having to visit the doctor. In fact, over the years, medical science has come to accept a lot of traditional ways of treating diseases that have been passed on from one generation to the next. Thus, it is reasonable to see why youngsters should follow the advice of their elders in some areas.
On the other hand, there are valid reasons for challenging the views of older people. Firstly, we live in a fast paced world where science and technology are progressing at a breakneck speed. The society in which an octogenarian was brought up is vastly different from the one that a teenager lives in today. Thus, the opinions that an elder may have about a specific issue, may have been formed based on a completely different set of assumptions. For instance, many older people in India are superstitious, and believe in using astrology to take important decisions such as choosing a life partner. It is obvious that if a young couple are in love and wish to marry, they should question their elders who may be against their personal decision based on old dogmas.
In conclusion, I believe that both views have their own merits. Old people have a treasure trove of knowledge that relates to our very basic human instincts and nature. This would serve young people well. However, the fast changing nature of the world means that some old traditions and beliefs might be obsolete and hence should be questioned by the youngsters.
Whether or not
, youngsters should
tread
along the beaten path followed by their previous generations is a debatable topic. Conservatives
believe
that adolescents should stick to the advice of their
elders
while progressives
think
that they should question the age
old
notions. In this essay I will shed
some
light on both sides of this debate.
Some
people
take the adage ‘
old
is gold’ quite literal. They
believe
that those of a mature age possessing the knowledge and wisdom that has
been tried
and
tested
.
For instance
, when I
used
to have a toothache as a young boy, my grandmother
used
to give me cloves to chew on. It
used
to work wonders and I would
get
better without having to visit the doctor. In fact, over the years, medical science has
come
to accept
a lot of
traditional ways of treating diseases that have
been passed
on from one generation to the
next
.
Thus
, it is reasonable to
see
why youngsters should follow the advice of their
elders
in
some
areas.
On the other hand
, there are valid reasons for challenging the views of older
people
.
Firstly
, we
live
in a
fast
paced world where science and technology are progressing at a breakneck speed. The society in which an octogenarian
was brought
up is
vastly
different
from the one that a
teenager
lives
in
today
.
Thus
, the opinions that an
elder
may have about a specific issue, may have
been formed
based on a completely
different
set of assumptions.
For instance
,
many
older
people
in India are superstitious, and
believe
in using astrology to take
important
decisions such as choosing a life partner. It is obvious that if a young couple are in
love
and wish to marry, they should question their
elders
who may be against their personal decision based on
old
dogmas.
In conclusion
, I
believe
that both views have their
own
merits.
Old
people
have a treasure trove of knowledge that relates to our
very
basic human instincts and nature. This would serve young
people
well.
However
, the
fast
changing nature of the world means that
some
old
traditions and beliefs might be obsolete and
hence
should
be questioned
by the youngsters.