Why should we respect elders?
We should not respect anybody who does not deserve respect, whether they are elders or not. And the only way to know who deserves respect is for people to demonstrate that they are worthy of respect. This is another way of saying that people "earn" respect.Some people talk about elders having more experience in life. However, experience by itself does not make a person worthy of respect. Many people do not learn from their experience and continue to act in ways that are not deserving of respect. So, experience alone does not entitle a person to respect, no matter how old he or she is. One way to earn the respect of others is to treat others with respect. Many elders fail this test, even if they don't do anything that is really terrible (such as commit crimes or abuse others). If elders want to receive respect from others, they need to treat others with respect, just like anyone else. That is one of the main ways of earning respect. In traditional societies, elders often feel entitled to treat younger people without respect. This is just the way elders in such societies behave, and this makes them unworthy of respect.For example, there are many cases in traditional societies where elders have forced their children to marry someone for the sake of money, or power, or privilege, or family connections, and the children have suffered tremendously as a result of being married to the wrong person. This sort of behaviour on the part of elders shows disrespect for their children. Since they, themselves, have not shown respect, such elders are definitely not worthy of the respect of others. Their "experience in life" has taught them nothing about how to behave like decent human beings.In many traditional societies, respect for elders has been the reason why those societies have remained backward and have not made any progress in terms of human rights, moral values, and general social advancement. Blind respect for elders is the same as blind respect for authority, since elders in traditional societies are automatically given a position of authority because of their age. However, as Albert Einstein said: "Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth." And he was absolutely right.
Why do we have to respect our elders?
Okay, if you're young (and we all are at some time) then you don't want to be held back by those know-it-all old folks and their silly rules and silly old fashioned beliefs. We've all been there. But I will tell you that any society works best when elders are treated with respect and dignity. Elders hold so much knowledge and wisdom and history of the culture. Young people don't always appreciate that. Young people tend to think that they know it all, that they have it all figured out. And they don't. Elders typically have quiet knowledge that you need to sit down with them and spend time with them to benefit from all the life experience that they have. You've been on this planet for maybe fifteen or twenty years. They've had three, four or even five times that many lifetimes of experience. Youth is great because it challenges the conventions and the norms of society and sometimes knocks down silly useless old standards. But the wisdom that comes with age can be priceless and if you are young and you take the time to listen to and understand elders, trust me, you will be a better person for it.
Why should you respect your elders?
Being "elder" they certainly have gone through a lot. 1) Though they may not have a monument in their name, wear a purple heart medal, or have praises sung about them in the paper, they have certainly overcome a hardship (financial, emotional, physical...) that few if any younger folk have or know of. 2) Unlike youth, their bodies are deteriorating and though they may take the best of care, it's just not a 20-30 year old body. Imagine waking up every day like you just worked out for the first time the day before, but worse. Body pain is a constant companion of anyone over 55-60. "Old age is not for wimps." 3) If those elders are in the family, they undoubtedly sacrificed for the younger generation. What vacation they didn't take, what luxury (or necessity) they didn't buy for themselves so that a younger generation could enjoy some luxury or treat? I think every generation should leave a biography for the following generation so that they can put their childhood and its effect on the older generation into perspective. 4) Respect for others diminishes the tendency of people to think of themselves, become arrogant or narcissistic (but especially kids as they're wired to be egocentric).
What are the ways to respect our elders?
Listen to what they have to say. The life experiences they have help them to make responsible decisions.They were young once. You were never their age. Respect their wisdom.They are the window to your future. Follow their examples.Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Find a positive role model. Strive to become what they are.Address them with terms of endearment, You’ll be there someday.Make allowances for their physical and mental state. They don’t move as fast or think as clearly as they once did. Be patient and tolerant.They cared for us when we were younger. Now it’s our turn to take care of them.Do something nice to show your appreciation. Remember important dates. Buy them a gift when it’s not expected.Visit or call often. Many elders are lonesome. They’ve lost family and friends.Don’t reject them because they’re old. They have a lot to share.It may be difficult to relate to elders because of a bad experience you may have had in the past. Suffice to say they are not all the same.Communicate with them. You may have more in common than you think.
What is the argument for the saying 'respect your elders'?
I hear the quote a lot. It assumes you’re supposed to listen to your elders and treat them with deference, often mistaken for respect. Respect is earned based on evidence of being someone worth respecting. You respect people who treat you with respect and show they deserve it. Deference is giving more politeness and listening to the demands of others. They are not the same thing, but often treated as such.Now how this works with respecting elders. We’re expected to defer to the ideas of elders, to weigh their demands more heavily than we might normally do with people in our age group. This is based on the idea that elders have more life experience than younger people. Its the idea that frankly wrong and treats age like a marker of experience. You can have an elder who never left their small town in 55 years and he or she will have less life experience than someone who is 30 years old and lived in six countries across Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America and has a Master’s degree. Who do you think would be more likely to have wisdom?Being old doesn’t mean being wise. Respecting your elders is an old idea based on flawed understandings of respect and deference.
Why do many Westerners do not respect the elderly?
It depends on the culture. That's are very broad area. Not everyone in the West disrespects the elderly, I would step back from that stereotype and understand you cant lump over a billion people into the same social stigma. I'll speak from my point of view in the specific region I live in. People that are church going and have morals in my region tend to be respectful of the elderly, that's my experience. In my church we give the elderly the best seats, listen to their knowledgeable stories, and hold them in high regard. My family, which is black but of Irish decent, holds the elders of the family in the highest regard, they are who we go to for advice, who we take care of. I was brought up to believe I need to get my doctorate and be financially well off enough to take care of my mother forever. My paternal grand parents are completely self sufficient, (my maternal grandparents are deceased) and they are the epicenter of our family's bond. I do see youth disrespect elderly though, and I think the media has s lot to do with it. Western media encourages our youth to be disrespectful and apathetic to everyone, not just the elderly. This only I'd what I'm aware of in southern US culture. Also, our country does have special benefits just for the elderly, such as Medicare, a medical insurance the government mandated for elderly, that taxpayers pay for, and social security, monetary support mandated by the government for the elderly. The media potrayal of youth disregarding their duty to the elderly is not exclusive to the West, you'll find the same changes occurring in the media in India and Japan. Vastly the whole worlds society is taking s turn for the worst. Edit: since my family is mainly European immigrants, I think thst has a huge impact on how cloe knit our family is.
Whatever happened to "respect your elders?"?
I know that to most I am considered young, but I was raised that you respect adults and your elders. Now I really do not see that anymore. If I disrespected an adult, I don't care how wrong I thought I was, my parents would have left my butt sore. My parents always told me that if an adult disrespects you, that you respect them still, and tell us, then we will handle the adult. That is not your responsibility to correct your elders. Nowadays, it is totally different. What do you think about the respecting your elders thing?