No 1125 of Living Life Series 1
The long eschewed value of respecting the elders even if the elders may be less educated than the young is a cornerstone of society.
But the young nowadays are in a hurry to take over. They should not worry. The elders will give way so that the young can take over the ropes earlier.
Meritocracy is in the limelight. But meritocracy is not about paper qualifications, not about abilities but also about experience.
Experience determines the know-how to a great extent. Thus the seniors who have the experience have the edge over the young. Their experience often outshines the qualifications and abilities of the young. Often this means that as far as meritocracy is concerned, they may be better than the young.
But the young must take over the ropes. This however should not be done with haste and with distaste. They should go slow. The young should be allowed to mature into old wine.
But they are often in a hurry. The young feel threatened and blocked by the old. The old are stumbling blocks.
The young often find it necessary to discredit the old and put the old down as obsolete and out of date - as no longer right. Being more educated, they have no problem in running down the old.
But they are often in a hurry. The young feel threatened and blocked by the old. The old are stumbling blocks.
The young often find it necessary to discredit the old and put the old down as obsolete and out of date - as no longer right. Being more educated, they have no problem in running down the old.
This is disrespect. In a religious setting, this has dire consequences. The young will go all the way to show that they are right. They overdo and do what the old would never do.
In so doing, they break boundaries of prudence. They may undo and in the process stretch the teachings to the unthinkable. They distort the teachings and create new norms.
If this is done with good intentions, well and good. But if this is done just to displace and make elders obsolete and redundant, it is another matter.
Often ego and the feeling that they the young cannot make it are often at the root of the problem. Thus what happens is that respect for elders end up more of a lip service even in a house of God and saints.
This will spell the downfall and decadence of society and religion. The religious orientation and fundamentals will be diluted and eventually lost.
The good lord Lord Bo Tien 武天菩萨 stresses on the respect for elders for a good reason. Respect for elders is a cornerstone for all to have. The young should take over the leadership and running of religion in due time but always and ever with respect for elders as the guiding precept.
