When I was younger, the older people (mormon or not) would tell us younger ones to "respect your elders". Essentially it meant that you had to always agree with what older people said, and you had to do what older people asked you to do without question. Not surprisingly TSCC thrived in those days.

Nowadays I think the "respect your elders" principle is dead. Too many of us have now confirmed what we always suspected, that our elders were hopelessly deluded. I don't think there is a place in the modern world for mindless obedient drones who can't think for themselves. Other than at church of course.

I used to believe that, by definition, the older people were, the wiser they were. Unfortunately, with age often comes entrenchment in destructive philosophies learned in youth. And yes, maybe (hopefully!) this realization is catching on.

I think Isaac was the first recipient of this advice...

Will you please tell my father this is no longer in vogue to say? He threw this one at me just about a month ago.

And older does not equal knowing everything. The older I get, the more experience I have, but the more I also realize that I don't know everything and that it's ok to believe something and then change your mind.

Having worked with the elderly, I have learned to take the phrase an entirely different way. Respect your elders, the same you would respect anyone else. Listen to them, because like anyone else you meet, they will have a unique perspective that gives them interesting insights on life and the world around them. Take this wisdom with a grain of salt though, because like everyone else, they also have their own prejudices and misconceptions as well.

I like your definition of respecting your elders forbiddencokedrinker.

Great way of putting it!

One thing I love to say is that even though a person is older, has been through more life experiences than you, etc, doesn't mean that they had the best life experience, and they of course haven't made every choice and seen the results of different choices. All they have to go on is their own experience of their life path. And as we all know, one size does not fit all. They may give advice on what worked for them, but their advice will not hold true for all.

It seems to me that the main problem is misconstruing the word "respect." Respect doesn't mean that a person is always right or that you always need to listen to them. If I expected that kind of "respect" from everyone I would look like an arrogant a** hole. Somehow, though, many people seem to believe that is what respect means.

Respect is the act of showing appreciation and regard to what that person may know and other such acts of acknowledgement. It doesn't mean to give in to every whim of the person you are showing respect to.

nickson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If I expected that
> kind of "respect" from *ANYONE* I would look like
> an arrogant a** hole. Somehow, though, many people
> seem to believe that is what respect means.

Fixed that for you. ;)

As others have said, respect does not mean unquestioning obedience. Well, except maybe in the Mormon church, where the overlords have encouraged that definition.

Everyone deserves respect as a default position. One can lose that respect (pretty easily), but whenever you meet someone new you should start with an attitude of respect. I believe older people deserve a higher level of this starting default, because (often) life grants experience and wisdom.

Thank you for fixing that :P

Karma is a bitch. You don't respect your elders because they know what they are talking about, you respect them because you're going to be one in the very near future.

I think elders and everyone else needs to show respect unless it's clearly undeserved and that no one should try to take unfair advantage of others based purely on their age.

As an old guy myself, I avoid saying this like the plague. Yes, I have the benefit of experience, which is good. I can mentor others because of that, but I'm always careful not to let it go to my head! I learn tons of things from younger people every day. If I keep learning, I'll feel younger and remain relevant instead of becoming a source of irritation for being a know-it-all.