YOUNG AND OLD

Proverbs 20.29
YOUNG AND OLD
"The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendour of the old."

IN THE SUMMER OF 1989, THOUSANDS OF students gathered in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, to demand for democracy. What started as a peaceful demonstration turned out to be one of the most brutal massacres in human history. In the tragic conflict, the opposing forces were symbolized by a student Wuer Kaixi and the country's leader, Deng Xiao-Peng. It was a conflict between a youth just out of his teens and an octogenarian.

One sad expression of human alienation is the generation gap. Why should the number of years between two persons turn into such distrust and misunderstanding? Youths detest the old-fashioned ways of their elders; the aged scorn the loose ways of the young. Here the wisdom of Proverbs gives a word of counsel for all of us: both young and old have each their glory and splendour.

We cannot deny the virility and creativity of the young. They are eager, exuberant and energetic. Their ideas are fresh, their aspirations lofty, even if sometimes idealistic. They need time to mature, it is true, but their spirits should not be crushed. Those who are older need to remember that they too were once young. They too were once impatient.

On the other hand, those who are young are called upon to take into account the accumulated experience of the old. Having lived a little longer, they may see things which the young do not. The command of God is clear regarding the honour we should accord our elders: "Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD" (Lev 19.32). In honouring our elders, we honour the LORD.

Gray hair should be a mark of special honour, and not an unfortunate sign of aging. We may dye our hair and go for face-lifts, but better than fighting the inevitable, Solomon tells us to cultivate "a righteous life" so that gray hair becomes "a crown of splendour" (16.31). As a Jewish proverb says, "For the ignorant, old age is as winter; for the learned, it is a harvest." Perhaps we need a change in perspective, and think, not of growing old, but of growing ripe.

God speaks of Himself as both young and old. He is called "the Ancient of Days" (Dan 7.9), for indeed He exists from everlasting, and, in the human sense of time, is older than anyone else. Yet He is also spoken of as "the bright Morning Star" (Rev 22.16) which rises fresh and young every day. No one is as young and old as God. Let us honour both young and old.

Do I despise the young, or the old?