5. 'The dead might as well try to speak to the living as the old to the young'

by Willa Cather from "One of Ours", Bk. II, Ch. 6 (1922)

I can't totally agree with this quotation by Willa Carter that's saying that the dead would have better luck trying to talk to the living than an older person trying to talk to a young person. To my ear, this statement sounds too categorical and exaggerated. But I cannot deny that in certain ways she is right. The young people often don't listen to their elders, but they have reason for that.

Old people are always saying that the young are not what they were. The same comment is made from generation to generation and it is always true. It is obvious that persons from different generations differ considerably in their ways of thinking, attitudes, life styles and values. The inevitable progress of time and technologies generates new ideas, new believes, and new values. As a result it comes to misunderstanding between young people and older people within the family as well as within the social context.

The old always assume that they know best for the simple reason that they have been around a bit longer. But the problem is that though the old people have a great deal of experience it is sometimes not enough for surviving in the changing modern world. The old often get stuck with their dated information and aren't able to break free from their own prejudice. They don't like feel that their values are being questioned and threatened. They are really conservative and expect the young to follow their traditions and customs. They consider the young shallow, lacking knowledge and moral depth and cannot often tolerate the modern ideas and ways of living.

Примечаний нет.