Reading the subreddit’s profile section, you will sense a profane, sarcastic, hyperbolic cynicism that indirectly voices the cliché saying “Youth is wasted on the young.” The idea behind this saying, supposedly from older folks, is that young people may lack the perspective to appreciate the advantages of their youth.
However, philosopher and Elmhurst University professor Dr. Douglas Giles provided a fresher perspective. According to him, young people have energy, ambition, and drive toward success, but they lack the life experience to make the most of these advantages.
“Young people are put in situations unequipped with the resources to handle them,” Dr. Giles wrote in an article for Medium.
Dr. Giles also pointed out that “youth is wasted on the young,” because older people, equipped with wisdom and life experience, are not providing enough support. Instead, they are expected to invest in their futures without answering their questions or considering their ideas.
“We need to recognize that younger people aren’t ignorant; they are inexperienced, and we should share our hard-won experience with them,” Dr. Giles stated.
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Speaking of older people, they are often seen to have what experts refer to as a subjective age bias. It’s the belief that “you’re as young as you feel,” or telling yourself that “age is just a number.”
According to psychology professor Dr. David Ludden, it’s also a way for older people to avoid the social repercussions of their age, which may include being denied job opportunities or excluded from certain social groups.
“A 60-year-old who still feels and looks like she’s 50 can boost her self-esteem by comparing herself to others her age. This leads her to think: ‘They’re old, but not me,’” Dr. Ludden wrote.
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In his article, Dr. Ludden also mentioned findings from a study showing that people today feel younger than their age. Those born between 1952 and 1974, for example, said they felt, on average, 11 years younger than their actual age. Dr. Ludden added several key factors that may lead people to think this way.
“The results do suggest that if you’re financially stable and in reasonably good health, you’re likely going to feel younger than your age well into your senior years.”
