Age and wisdom

“Age is the price of wisdom.”

It’s an ancient proverb. One that has been passed down through the fog of time - in cultures spread across the globe. But what does it mean?

Benjamin Franklin said: “At 20 years of age, the will reigns; at 30 the wit; at 40 the judgment.” Fair enough. I’ll concede that the passage of time can help one to have a more complete perspective of the world, of people, and even of one’s own life. Franklin lived to be 84. I wonder if he had any words of wisdom about what rules at 50? Or 60? Guess he was keeping that wisdom to himself.

As you grow older, you get wiser. Seems simple enough. With additional time lived, everyone has the opportunity to gain new information, new conceptualization – new knowledge. Indeed, if one lets a day go by without learning something new, that day is wasted. But, does that mean old people are, necessarily, smarter than younger folks? Or, perhaps, is it just more likely, that older folks have merely had the benefit of more time to be able to learn. I’m going with the latter.

The passage of time alone, doesn’t make one wiser - it’s taking advantage of that time. That’s what adds to one’s wisdom. But then, a lot of other stuff also comes with the passage of time – like wrinkles, muscle aches, vision loss, and brittle bones.

Brad Pitt said: “Personally, I like aging. With age comes wisdom. I have said it before, and I will say it again, I will take wisdom over youth any day.” Easy for him to say – he’s Brad Pitt! When Pitt looks in a mirror, it’s not me looking back at him.

George Carlin once said: “Age is a hell of price to pay for wisdom.” At 67, my aching bones couldn’t agree more. Indeed, at my age, I am beginning to think the whole “wisdom for age” thing is a really bad deal.

Oh, I’m not saying I regret the time I have spent learning new things, I’m just saying, there needs to be some balance – a little more equality. When the first thought that crosses my mind upon waking each day, is how much I hurt - having once read Dickens and Dostoyevsky, really isn’t lending a great deal of comfort. Frankly, at this point, I would happily trade my limited knowledge of geometry for an equal share of a little less joint pain.

Would I trade “old and wise” for “young and dumb”? I don’t know - maybe. If you think about it - “young and dumb” really was a lot more fun.