the influence of seniors, and particularly open to learning from them?
When it comes to the influence of elders in the lives of younger generations, parallels exist. For example, elephants have grandmothers. The matriarch of an elephant herd, who may be up to sixty years old, guides the herd toward sources of food and water, helps the herd identify and defend itself against threats, and leads the socialization of the young elephants. Grandmother elephants draw from a store of practical wisdom developed over decades about how to live long and well together. Researchers say that good grandmothers position their herds to thrive.
Many of us have young people in our lives— perhaps grandchildren, children of relatives, or neighbours’ children. To whatever extent they may be open to learning from us, are we showing them how to live long and well together? In other words, are we taking opportunities to develop relationships with young people, and are our messages wise? Wise messages point toward love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are the kinds of attributes that support living long and well together.
Is there a benefit to sharing wisdom with the young people in our lives? The young people I interviewed felt that the time spent learning from a senior was one of the highlights of their week. Do you know who else felt that way? The seniors who spent time with them.
Lloyd Den Boer is a retired educator living in Edmonton. He and his wife Audrey have eight wonderful grandchildren. Lloyd says,“ Sharing in their lives is one of the great joys in ours.”
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