Learning from those older and wiser

I have a very good friend who turned 68 on Friday. You might think; ‘elham, how old are you, and why do you encounter OLD people’. Since Friday I have actually been thinking about why I encounter old people, and why I enjoy their company as much as I enjoy the company of people more my age.

I like to make it clear for everyone that I am absolutely not talking about all elderly, I am only talking about those that I encounter and those that I have learned and still learn valuable lessons from.

You know what is wrong with us young people; our EGO is just too big, we think we know it all, but deep down in our hearts we are scared and do not want to admit that we fear so many things in life. And we rather not share it with others, as they might find out about our deepest secrets! I think this Ego is not allowing us to learn from those that have walked before us. We might think they are not part of this society, they are not up to date with the current development, yes you are right, they might not be, but I believe the issues human being is dealing with today is the same as what our forefathers were dealing with 100 and 1000 years ago. If you focus on the issues of the world, it is mostly issues within various relationships we have that is causing insecurities, fears, and needs. The same underlying problems exist as much today as they did back then. So let’s calm down, and step down a bit from that huge Ego we all carry with us!

I think every human being should have a wise old friend, and should counsel that person especially during important decisions in life. In Farsi we have a very good saying: ‘the old have ripped few more shirts than us’. I absolutely believe in this, as I truly think we can learn from those that have walked the journey of life much more than us. What is important to me, is not getting counsel from all sorts of old people, some older people have grown bitter as they have traveled on the journey of life, I like to encounter those who are successful in their relationships, who have learned through various experiences of life.

So this friend of mine who turned 68 on Friday, I value his wisdom, I value the journey he has traveled, with his wife, children and grandchildren. His hair is all grey, and yes I believe there is a true reason for every grey hair on his head. The counsel of the wise will make you wise (Salomon in Proverbs).


At the end I like to say what I think true wisdom is, I don’t think wisdom is about how fat their bank account is, or how many degrees they have, or what their social position is, I believe wisdom is about how deeply they view life, and how they have been able to become so successful in their relationships. Anyone can earn money nowadays, anyone can get to great positions,that is all possible, but I do not think all people holding great positions are necessarily wise. Throughout my upbringing my dad always used to tell me this: ‘Tell me who your friends are, and I tell you who you are’. Tell me who you receive life advice from, and I will tell you how your life will be!!