Some younger people see older people as inflexible and non-creative, or as the group that uses up more resources than we merit. This contrasts with more primitive peoples who often saw elders as a community resource of accumulated lore. I believe that in many ways those of us who are retired are still a community resource and that our years of experience have given us something of value to pass on to a younger generation. As to our rigidity, the reality is likely to be different. One study found that older people were more open to having their attitudes changed than a middle-aged group of people.
Wisdom rises upon the ruins of folly.
Our bad and traumatic experiences, our mistakes and our follies are a training ground for wisdom. If we haven t committed a fair number of stupid errors, we haven t built a basis for good judgment. I believe our life experiences educate our right brain. It is now commonly acknowledged that our right brain is our intuitive side that makes decisions based on a global picture of situations. It is the right brain s function that allows us to make judgments without citing a myriad of facts.