If Youth knew if Age could
The statement if
youth knew and age could refers to the possibility of what things could be if
the young knew the truths of life and were wise and if the old could be more
strong and do what is required even in old age. The statement seems to suggest
that such things are only utopic dreams and not actually possible, since the
youth lack wisdom and the old lack physical strength. In the new age however
this seems very much possible. First, the youth of today is far more wisened
and second, the old far more young.
There was a time
when at 40 one felt like a really old man with grandchildren and failing
health, a time more appropriate for the recommended 'vanaprastha' as per old Hindu
customs. It was time to let your son be the head of the joint family and take
over the reigns of the physically strenuous duties of maintaining the
household. Even though one did not go out into the jungle, one simply relaxed
and used his wisdom to guide the new head of the family. Those were of course
times when a lot of physical labour was required to achieve anything. People
traveled on foot, did not have the comforts of modern day living, could not do
business right from the home via the phone or internet, etc.
Now science and
medicine have advanced enough to make life absolutely sedentary and easy on the
physique. Longevity and vigour have dramatically improved. At forty, one
manages to marry and only slightly settle into some kind of life. Children are
still school going and in no way ready to take over the reigns. In fact the
saying 'life starts at forty' seems more appropriate and retirement isn't even
an option. Yes government servants do have a retirement age, but that is a forced
decision rather than an optional one or a necessary one. Things like retirement
ages fixed by governments are very much dependant on political and other social
factors like availability of jobs etc. And people continue in similar fields or
do something new even after retirement. Even in sports people no longer retire.
They may not play any more, but they either start coaching or doing
commentaries or open sports institutes. Nowadays, the youth wings of various
parties have leaders the age of forty, a clear signal towards what is called
youth today.
On the other hand,
is the youth of today, very mature and responsible. The exposure that they go
through and the pressure to excel in this very competitive age has made them
more mature than they were ever. Of course in early ages the youth of today
were considered adults and had to take the responsibilities of the whole family
and was already a parent in his teens. The definition of youth has changed
since, and now means people in their twenties and early thirties. The 20th
century defined the youth as those, that had to educate themselves on emerging
streams of knowledge and were exonerated from demanding jobs and
responsibilities. But this padding did not last in the 21st century when
younger and younger people started taking charge of situations and the
traditionally old sectors like management were taken over by the youth. The
media coupled with other forces have lead the children of today to be more
informed, more aggressive and more willing to take over responsibilities.
Earlier there were limited fields where young people achieved, one being
sports, but now we see young people achieving everywhere. We even have many
young people as Union Ministers.
Earlier it was said, only years of long
practice made you perfect enough in any field specially in the fine arts, but
now we have newer and younger artists taking over in a more pressurizing
environment and doing very well. One of the reasons for this success could well
be due to a large and ever growing segment of young consumers who know their
minds. A new kind of maturity seems have taken over the youth of today. In fact
children too seem to be very much mature and learn to fend for themselves in
these pressure driven times.
The above
statement also implies that young people are more energetic and over
enthusiastic and the old more balanced and patient but at the same time, may
lack the drive to change things. The youth in their enthusiasm overlook some
finer details and jeopardize the journey; and the old, being overcautious, miss
the bus. It further implies that if only the youth knew more balance and the
old, more adventure, great things could be achieved. And this is the balance
that our own government has tried to achieve through the civil services, which
puts young Turk's at the head of departments full of older and experienced
people who can constantly guide them and ring the warning bells; while the
young ones with their fresh insights and enthusiasm can give shape to a new
India.
Having seen that
an aged person now is not a man of 40 but more suitably of 60, and a young man
is not only a man in his 20's but well may be nearer 40, there has occurred an
overlapping of the young and the old. This obviously means an admixture of the
old and the young. This potent mixture has all the capabilities of fulfilling
mankind's dreams, and we are surely headed towards the right direction. There
is, however, still talk of things like generation gap, but this gap is not only
between the old and the young. Longevity has given rise now to the gap between
the very young, the mature and the old, and the idea is very well portrayed by
the veteran filmmaker Mr. Raj Kapoor, in his film 'Kal Aaj Aur Kal'. A greater
openness and the overlapping of youth and old has lead to a greater
understanding of things. We are surely heading towards a balance of mind in the
young and a feeling of adventure in the old, and therefore it's no longer 'if
we could', but 'we shall'. We know and we can.
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