There are many people on the far side of youth who not only experience the physical effects of age, but the mental calcification that too-often accompanies the years. But it should be understood that experience doesn't equate with wisdom, and just because someone may have been around for a long time, that person isn't necessarily any more bright than a neophyte. Indeed, what the younger person lacks in experience she may more than make up for in imagination. Often times, it seems as though there is a dichotomy between the young and aging, with the former having a willingness to experiment and the latter being inclined to defend the status quo. But what is most important to note is that innovation is the result of experimentation, of people trying new things, not doing the same thing over and over again.
Innovation is the result of risk.
Failure is something that is generally anathema to those who are guided by a rigorous sense of responsibility. Change isn't always good. But the lack of change can be deadly. The drive to think about things from a different perspective came to me by two recent experiences. Honda is recognizing the importance of the young to its market and is responding accordingly.