If youth knew, if age could
If youth knew, if age could
Introduction
The quote “If youth knew, if age could”, delivers a deeper message that penetrates the relation between the youth and the aged through generations after generations. This quote simply explains that the youth and elderly people need to join hands to utilize the knowledge and power simultaneously for the better result. The youth and the elderly people is often found in an inverse relationship. When one agrees or accepts a concept, the other always finds a loophole. This is often covered up with the term ‘generation gap’. Everyone has come across this term of ‘generation gap’ but hardly any of us have tried to analyse this gap and make a common way out.
Generation Gap
This concept need to be analyse and understood both by the ‘Young Generation’ and the ‘older Generation’. When we talk of the generation, it is again our though process which makes us young or old. This is where the quote hits its remark, that the youth should try to visualize the knowledge and message their elders are delivering, and the old people should try to retain their power and strength to compete the worldly affairs in a rocking manner.
We can infer this quote and approach towards the practical implication in two ways:
• Youth think rationally, and elders retain the strength
The youth have a warm blood and the spark to burn immediately. If they could start thinking rationally and have patience enough to listen and understand the views and opinions of others before going ahead and delivering their turn of strike, that would make a complete compilation of the human requirement to win the battle of life. Similarly, the elders need to retain their strength and power in their performance, along with their knowledge and experience, to fight back the world with full vigour.
• Youth and elderly people join hands and act as a combined unit
If every position of the management is recruited with an energetic enlightening youth and an experienced elder person within the field, the delivered result could be definitely better. The older person can reciprocate his experience and knowledge and the young burning blood can implement the same and deliver the best output in totality.
Though both the approach will give the best outcome, still the second way of approach is more practical and acceptable in any life pattern. We can discuss the inference of this quote with respect to the different era precisely:
The Old Hindu Mythological Concept
As per the old Hindu mythology, the human life is divided into childhood, adulthood, married life and last one for the old age being vanaprastha. It was believed that the person gets done with his worldly responsibilities by getting his children settled, and after handling them the charge of the family, they need to move to the forest and concentrate away from the moribund city life.
This era hardly provided time to the elders to guide their successors with their knowledge and experiences. The elder men moving out of the family life and the women being cultivated into the narrow mindedness of the society, the children were the soul in-charge of taking care of the family and outdoor responsibilities without anyone to guide them. Here the youth couldn’t know the experience and they had to live of their own experience. On the other hand, the elders were not allowed to involve in the worldly matters. No point of discussing their strength and physical potential, as even their experience was not of any use to the world.
The Era a Decade Ago
This was the evolved period from the older concepts of life. The vanaprastha was not an option anymore. This made the interaction between the experienced elders and the youth possible. The quote could get its orientation and a defined shape in this era. People used to have simple living and have grandchildren in their old forties. Though the retirement age didn’t reach, but people used to get rid of the family affairs by handing over the responsibilities to the successors.
This era made the elders guide their children with their experiences and children were curt enough to listen to their elders. Though the respect was forced to them, still they used to abide the words of their elders. This made the experience get implemented, but with lack of full vigour, as the task accomplished by the youth without interest didn’t get the sufficient input of the young potential in the delivered outcome. On the part of the adults, they used to be more of stubborn and could hardly accept any difference of opinion. They used to perform immense physical labour during their lifetime, to the extent that they got tired and wear and tear set-in at an early age. There was hardly any point discussing regarding their physical stamina to combat the youth and have the best deliverable.
Present Era
The era we are living today is more mechanical with less physical labour. The masses have civilised and the value of literacy and education is well understood. Both men and women participate equally in worldly matters and the marriage age has been increased. The retirement age is not seen any before the sixties. People maintain their physical and mental strength equally even at that age. The age could perform and deliver utilising their life experiences.
For the youth, the young generation today is more learned and have much patience to hold their temper and understand the requirements and utilities. They are more outward and open minded. They give way to fresh thoughts and have a listening ear for the age old experiences. The youth today is not sheepish or doesn’t feel bad in learning from the experiences of old people and gaining knowledge from their failures. With such a mind-set they have a ready spark to glow the world with their brightness. The youth understands the difference between the requirement of flame for lighting the lantern and burning down a project.
The quote fits well in today’s era; as the youth knew what and when to perform; and the old could deliver with their strength and potential.
Conclusion
Precisely speaking, the quote is a befitting one for the present era. We have a wide scope of reshaping the world today to a beautiful age and recreating the place for welcoming the coming generation with a much soothing and comfortable living. The youth knew and the age could, all that is required is the implementation of the quote in a smart and acceptable manner.
Discussion
- RE: If youth knew, if age could -Hemant Sharma (08/11/14)
- It wouldn’t be wrong to say that in a country like India where the old and experienced people are eyes and ears of nation, the youth are the strong limbs that support them. It would be so great for our country if the youth knew the truths of life and are wise enough to implement it. Similarly, if the old could come out stronger and do the needful then our generation gap could vanish.
India is a large nation with maximum percentage of people falling in the category termed as ‘youth’. The new generation is wise and the old younger, covering various strata. They can strengthen the nation with their uncorrupted energy and never-ending strength. Earlier, 40 were considered as an old age with falling health and temper. It was the age for these elder ones to guide the younger ones to take over the reins. But in today’s time the youth are more active in every aspect by themselves. Every young man is an asset to the nation due to their indispensable health and personality.
Guidance is required for the proper utilization of the youth’s energy and idealism. Therefore, it has become vital for the nations growth to have honest and inspirational leaders who can channel the energy into building the nation. There has been advancement in the field of science and technology making life easy. Now, at the age of 40 one manages to get married and settle into their own zone. Similarly, if young men and women spend most of their time and energy spreading the advantages of literacy, then our nation could reach heights in no time.
Young men and women are matured and responsible for the activities that they indulge in. Rural development is something that can be taken care of by the youth. They have the knowledge and skills to understand the intricacies of new development and also have the required will to pass on the same message to the rural people in our country. Another great achievement is the media with which any message can be delivered to masses instantly and convincingly. Earlier due to limited resources people achieved less and were less aware of their opportunities. Youth take less time as compared to the earlier era to get familiarize with the pressurizing environment and resources provided. A new kind of maturity has taken over and the one year long practices have taken a back seat.
There is no doubting the energy and enthusiasm of the youth but at the same time they may lack the drive to change things. They are patient but lack the experience to look at the finer details. On the other hand, the elder generation is over-cautious and misses the opportunity presented to them. Youth can provide support in fighting crime, corruption and a number of irrational and theoretician social customs. If youth and old are more balanced and adventurous respectively, then great things could be achieved. It requires not just the energy of the youth but also the experience evaluation of the old people to form a strong nation.
It’s duly noted that the aged person of 40 is considered in youth and 60 as old. The age is mere numbers these days, what matters most is the amount of work that’s been put by an individual for the growth of nation. The potent mixture of youth and old has all the capabilities of meeting the expectations of mankind’s dreams. The generation gap still lies but its being laid to bed as we speak. There is a great sense of responsibility on the shoulders of the elders to prevent the young men from going away into the darkness. If we maintain the balance then there is no power in the world that can stop us from achieving greatness.