What is the most significant contribution older people make to society?

1. 60

   liftandsoarposted 10 years ago

   What is the most significant contribution older people make to society?
   
   There are the usual answers such as the wisdom garnered from years of experience. Is there something else? If you choose to answer, would you mind identifying your age decade?  If you are in your 40s just put 40 at the end of your answer.  70
   
   

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2. 0

   lambservantposted 10 years ago

   I have worked with many elderly people. I am not sure what you mean by older people. You may want to be more specific. I will address people 70+, although most often 70 is not really elderly.
   
   Aside from wisdom and experience,  GRATITUDE!!! We are an thankless society these days. I would say the faithful attitude of Gratitude is numero uno behind wisdom. I think we learn how to treat one another from them. In my work I have found most older people to have much more integrity that even middle aged folks. They were raised when manners and respect were still a big part of every day behavior. There are many exceptions of course. I learn from them patience, endurance, kindness, and listening. Are you going to use this information for a hub or book?
   
   I  only wish young people would take the times to interact with older people. They need kindness and gratitude to rub off on them. 50.

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3. 82

   Faith Reaperposted 10 years ago

   When we friend an "older" person, we become much richer.  They are selfless volunteers, and without their volunteering in hospitals, non-profits, nursing homes, drivers at car repair places to drive those to work, and so many other areas, some of these organizations would have to shut down or would really suffer.  During the time I had cancer, so many were volunteering their time at the cancer center, and they did it with a smile and with such kindness.  A lot work longer and then once they do retire, they start up their own businesses, thus providing opportunities for others.  They still pay taxes, council tax, taxes on consumer goods, tax on petrol ...they have disposable income from previous generations invested in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, minerals and futures.  They are patient listeners.  They watch their grandchildren.  Some are even raising their grandchildren!  The most well know composers, writers and artists have contributed their finest work in their old age.  We should listen to them and learn from their wisdom.  They are invaluable and our society should look at them as such.  Other cultures do hold their elders in high regard.   50

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4. 60

   C.V.Rajanposted 10 years ago

   Elderly people are there to teach patience, control irritability, doing duty minded serving with or without love, acceptance of unsolicited advice, belief in fate etc to the next generation who happen to be around them! (57)

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5. 81

   kallini2010posted 10 years ago

   I respect your question, but I am afraid that any answer would be a generalization and therefore not representative of the truth.
   
   The question must be much more specific and the only way to answer it would be to conduct a scientific study.  All other opinions are merely opinions that are not based on any statistics, but only on vague value judgments.
   
   Older people - age group?
   
   The most significant contribution - would be a value judgment.
   
   What kind of older people - what status, what social class, what country,
   
   what ... what... what...
   
   Our opinions are so far from precision.  Every generation (if there is such a thing as a generation, which is normally the group with the age difference no more than twenty years) has a very distorted views of its own generation let alone the generation that follows (or precedes).
   
   I have once read a quote (I won't be able to find it now) where a man of an older generation described modern youth as being completely impossible - rude, loud, ignorant, disrespectful... and I nodded in agreement.  Yes, that rang so true.  Then I looked who said it.  It was a philosopher from the Ancient Greece.
   
   In order to simplify my reasoning, I would just rephrase your question -
   
   What is the most significant contribution "my generation" made to society?
   
   Well, global warming.  Self-destruction.  Wars.
   Refusal to think in the global terms. Technology.  Overpopulation.
   
   I am thinking that maybe every generation contributed to the survival of the species as in reproduction.
   
   Generation is larger than society.
   
   My parents (70) are under the illusion that I will never understand them because of the age difference.  As in "I am not there yet".  But what does not work in this argument is that I may never understand them, but they must be able to understand me because they have already sailed through my age.  But they don't.
   
   This dilemma was bothering me because I did not have an answer.  It turned out to be so simple.  Our emotional memories deteriorate and we forget how it was to be children.  I did forget it, too.  I don't understand my son (10).  I believe that he will grow ignorant (a generational thing?).  But I still love him.
   
   What was the most significant contribution I made to society?  I really cannot say.  But I would recommend to start pondering this question from the perspective of an individual, rather than such an enormous group. (40)

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   1. 0

      lambservantposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I don't think this gentleman is looking for some big, general. broad brush "truth", just getting people's thoughts, which is subjective. I think you made it way more complicated than he asked for.

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6. 62

   old albionposted 10 years ago

   In truth they can add wisdom and the need for patience in life. The fact of the matter is that they have already made their contribution in life, significant or not. Most older people these days struggle to get through and simply hope for the best. 70.
   Graham.

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