Young people frequently criticize the elderly without understanding that they only want what is best for everyone. They start with their dad, then move on to their teachers, then their professors, and finally their boss, all the while failing to recognize that these individuals possess knowledge and perspective that they lack.
They refuse to acknowledge their lack of knowledge and continue to pass judgment on others without attempting to understand various points of view or putting themselves in the position of the people they are criticizing. They don't look at the wider picture and don't realize that although their "service" may help one person, it will hurt many others, so they continue down the same path and try to convince themselves that their poor choices are truly helping other people.
The issue is not that they do not possess the intelligence of a stomach that can communicate to you when it needs food. They are unaware of their own foolishness since their brains do not alert them to it.
Realising how little they actually know helps people grow. The criticism of the young lacks wisdom, experience, and an understanding of the right context. As we get older, we acquire new information and a wider perspective, demonstrating how limited and inaccurate the judgments we made when we were younger were. When we look back on events and people in the past, we see how little we really knew about their complexities.
The next time you feel the want to criticize someone who is older, wiser, or more experienced than you, take a moment to pause and think about how much you might be passing up. You might discover that you have been misinterpreting the situation all along if you listen before you judge. Recognizing how little we actually know is frequently the first step toward gaining wisdom.
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