old vs young

ORIGINAL: jenns
In my opinion, if a person knows as much when they were 20 as they do at age 30, 40 or 50, then they are not learning from their mistakes.

 
Amen.  And when you're 20 and think you know everything, I would ask you to consider, do you look at life and make the same decision as you did when you were 10?  Probably not.  And you will not look at life and make the same decisions at 30 as you did/do at 20.  This trend starts to level out at some point, I am sure, but I am still trying to find that point, at 50.  []

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Who here is 20 and thinks they know everything? lol! Who here thinks they know everything, period? Probably no one. [] Everyone can only learn what life experiences allow them to learn. Your life will always take you to a different place, and different ages may have different questions posed, but that doesn't make any age "more intelligent" then the next, as a general rule.

all i can say (maybe its not all i will say) is
"Some people learn at age four what others learn at forty"
...i was beyond my years for a kid. i SCARED people when i was a kid.... because i was not kid-like..... and i have accidentally shamed many adults by pointing out the obvious, or doing something better than themselves....

everyone has something to teach. a lot of times you may just be the example.... or you might be the one dolling out advice based of advice given to by the example.... but you shouldnt assume because someone is young that they are ignorant.
it all has to do with how open your mind is..... closed minds dont know much and assume others know even less than they do..

I think I understand your complaint - You aren't claiming to know more or less than someone who is older than you are, but you don't want to be dismissed or disregarded because of your age. It feels patronizing. Is that right?

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Billy... I thought it was funny. []

Rolenta, I feel very strongly as you do. Having people talk down to me because I'm young (and look even younger than I am) makes me unbelievably furious. I've lived through a lot more than a lot of people who are much older than me and it is beyond insulting to be treated like a child just because I don't have as many years under my belt as some.

I treat everyone based on what they bring to the table. People should never have to say "I know I'm young, but..." I expect all people to act responsibly and reasonably regardless of age. 13 year old kids posting on the boards should still be able to use basic spelling and punctuation. If a 17 year old is making a stupid mistake it's no more reprehensible than if a 45 year old were doing the same thing.

BUUUUT.... I think on the whole folks on this board are pretty respectful. So to all of you who are, thank you.

ORIGINAL: rolenta

ORIGINAL: ashland

I think I understand your complaint - You aren't claiming to know more or less than someone who is older than you are, but you don't want to be dismissed or disregarded because of your age. It feels patronizing. Is that right?

Yes!

 
I agree. I am 25 years old and I do realize that I don't know everything. I already realize that the things I did, said, or thought when I was 20 are completely different from what I may do, say or think now, but that doesn't mean that my feelings back then weren't valid. And it doesn't mean that I was stupid back then, just not wise. []  Everyone has to learn for themselves, I believe.

I have no idea of how old you are. Over the last few years on dog forums, I've been extremely impressed at how well informed and involved people in their teens and twenties have been. It bodes well for the future of dogs. It shows that each generation is becoming more educated and committed. Certainly there are older people that bring with them a wealth of exceptionally valuable experience, but generally speaking the 20 year olds of today know a whole lot more about dogs than the 20 year olds did in 1987.

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ORIGINAL: Boo1129

I wholeheartedly wish I listened to older people like Billy when I was young....I thought I knew everything...I was very wrong...I quit college ....partied way too much and got married and had babies early...Not that I would change anything because I love my children dearly but looking back I was in fact an "idiot"

yeah well i counter that with "i wish i hadnt taken so much advice and actually HAD A LIFE and FUN".... until i was 20 i lived in a box.... i did what i was told, i was the epitomy of the "perfect child", and (except where math class was concered, for the benefit of post diggers) i was a model student.
but .... a big BUT here.. get ready for it.... i was living at home with mymom, i had NO friends, i had NO job, i had NO car, i had NO license to drive, i had NO support and NO encouragement to become an adult. i had NO clue how to manage bills (though i did figure it out on my own), and i had NO ONE willing to teach me...... but what i DID have was a complete total stranger, a man i met in a pub, offer me a room for rent and promises to teach me all of those things...... and i snapped up that offer so fast my family had fits of apoplexy for MONTHS!! i did a lot of living in just one year of knowing him. i discovered things about my town, historical places, parks, zoos, beaches, rivers, PEOPLE.... and you know what?? i actually hated my family for not encouraging me to get out and get a life of my own. Thanks to them and my non-rebelious streak i havent got much advice to offer my own kids.... thankfully my husband does. he partied, had his heart broken, wrecked his motor cycle, had more than twenty one night stands.... and he doesnt regret a single bit of it. infact i'm freakin jealous  of all the fun he had, all the stories he tells, of all of his friends.. we cant go anywhere without someone coming up and talking to him about some stupid stunt, or wild night in Panama City....
yeah i know a lot.... but most of it is just my observations and what i have heard people i know talk about it.... some of it i'm glad i didnt experience, but some of it.... is depressing because i didnt experience it.

dont be so quick to call yourself stupid when you were young.... think of the alternatives.... like my life... in a box.. with a window... no doors... it was depressing.. morbidly so.

ORIGINAL: rolenta
Billy, I don't suppose you'd appreciate someone who was 60 getting into an argument with you about whatever topic and then simply ending it by saying, "Well, you're just 50, which means you're wrong."

 
I assure you, I would be FAR from offended..  You see, while I certainly don't know everything, I do know enough to know that people who are older than I am have a different perspective on things because of their life experiences.  I appreciate that difference in perspective and I want to draw from that and I want to learn from that. 
 
Let me add that when I was 20, I most certainly did know everything.  I get dumber as I get older.  []

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My gosh, I'm twenty and I know probably less than 1% of what I will know when I'm 70.  Does that make me stupid?  Heck, no!  Does it make me inexperienced?  To some degree, yes.  BUT that doesn't make me any less responsible.  I think that's the real issue that was debated in the other thread...  People were pointing 'irresponsible' fingers at other people because they were younger.  Which, IMO, is bull.  I'm 20 and the most important thing to me is how well my animals are cared for; it's where the majority of my money ends up.  I'm more responsible than my own parents.  My dad has said that to me.  He has point-blank told the rest of my family flat out to their faces that none of them should own a dog and that I'm really the only one in the family who really should because I'm the only one who actually acts on their needs.  I do the research on what to feed them, I give them their exercise, I keep their nails short, keep their teeth clean, train them to be less reactive.  My family does squat except give them some love here and there and help with the financial expenses.  Being young doesn't mean I'm going to go out and do things that are going to put my animals in danger.  I know what I can handle financially and I will not breach that limit (and FWIW so does another member I know personally who's been so brutally attacked recently).  What I can handle is different from what other people can handle.  Some people can handle more than I can - does that make them less responsible for being able to care for more animals than I can?  I fear that some people here apparently think so.

I don't think it's how old you are that determines how "knowledgeable" you are.  I will bet you anything that some of the twenty year olds on this board who have loved dogs all their life know a heck of a lot more than a 50 yr old who just bought their first dog at a pet store because it was cute. 

the older I get the dumber I get