- The young are naturally gung-ho and adventurous, and the old are naturally overly cautious and conservative. No surprise there. No profound revelation. But how do people arrive at these predictable stations in life? Why does it happen as reliably as clockwork? Well, the obvious variable separating our two aforementioned demographic groups is accrued experience and the impact that factor must have on our collective psyches. Akin to a tortoise which has been confronted by a hungry fox one too many times, we learn to instinctively pull our heads in at the first sign of danger and keep it tucked inside our protective, imaginary shells for a long while afterward. Daring behavior? Heroic behavior? Stellar, lead actor behavior? Of course not on all three counts. But immanently sensible. Given the fact every species of animal, including and especially our own, has its DNA encrypted with the transcendent desire to survive in order that they can subsequently propagate and resultantly avoid extinction, learning from mistakes while simultaneously adopting a more conservative posture toward life in general is a totally understandable reaction to crises, both real and perceived. Add to that the fact this survive-at-all-costs behavior becomes more and more ossified and entrenched over time, until it ultimately morphs into the very real definition of a “generation gap” which serves to rigorously repel opposite poles of the human age magnet. That said, this paradigm doesn’t make overtly reactionary behavior amongst the great majority of the geriatric population sexy and enviable, nor does it even make it socially acceptable in a host of instances.
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Fred's Soapbox 