Michelle - Thank you for bringing up this issue. As we know, at least in the U.S., the elderly have been devalued for decades now. As you indicated, it used to be that we were of value as a source of wisdom and aid to our younger generations. Although that sentiment has been eroding for quite some time now but, as you stated, it appears that the more contemporary younger generations appear to devalue us even more than previous generations did. I would have to say though, that my guess is that this holds truer for more modern western cultures, than for more indigenous or eastern cultures. That makes sense to me because, as you said, the younger generations have the "wisdom" of Google and now ChatGPT etc., whereas the indigenous and eastern cultures still see value in the direct experiences that older people have to share from their own unique perspective.
It reminds me of the stories I have read, over the years, about younger generations of Native Americans who discovered that as a result of the lack of interest in their elders and their tribal histories, they were close to losing their languages and cultures. Consequently, many have begun a campaign of renewal by frantically spending time with the last of their elders who still contain the old knowledge of their tribes, before they die. I remember having met a woman whose father was a university professor of Native American Studies that wrote a multi-volume history of the culture and language of one particular tribe in the Pacific Northwest. She told me that years later the tribe honored her father for saving their culture because the younger generations never bothered to learn any of the history, culture and wisdom of their tribe and now it was preserved in these volumes for those who wanted to renew it.
Michelle - Thank you for bringing up this issue. As we know, at least in the U.S., the elderly have been devalued for decades now. As you indicated, it used to be that we were of value as a source of wisdom and aid to our younger generations. Although that sentiment has been eroding for quite some time now but, as you stated, it appears that the more contemporary younger generations appear to devalue us even more than previous generations did. I would have to say though, that my guess is that this holds truer for more modern western cultures, than for more indigenous or eastern cultures. That makes sense to me because, as you said, the younger generations have the "wisdom" of Google and now ChatGPT etc., whereas the indigenous and eastern cultures still see value in the direct experiences that older people have to share from their own unique perspective.
It reminds me of the stories I have read, over the years, about younger generations of Native Americans who discovered that as a result of the lack of interest in their elders and their tribal histories, they were close to losing their languages and cultures. Consequently, many have begun a campaign of renewal by frantically spending time with the last of their elders who still contain the old knowledge of their tribes, before they die. I remember having met a woman whose father was a university professor of Native American Studies that wrote a multi-volume history of the culture and language of one particular tribe in the Pacific Northwest. She told me that years later the tribe honored her father for saving their culture because the younger generations never bothered to learn any of the history, culture and wisdom of their tribe and now it was preserved in these volumes for those who wanted to renew it.