Why do older people always think they're "Older and Wiser"?

no one is entitled to wisdom. wisdom is what you get out of your life experiences. if you haven't

experienced much in life, you won't gain much wisdom. it's just the older you are, the more time you have had to experience things. not all old people are wise. some people young, or old, never learn.

an older person has already been through what a young person is going through, so they have the benefit of experience, whether the experience made them wise or not. but then again all young people think they know everything and have all the answers. it takes them a few years to realize

they don't.

+2

^^^ that was an asshole move-.-

Anyway, most old people say they are wiser because they have lived longer than most. They have been through so much throughout their lives so they can say that they are experienced. I disagree with you on one thing; wisdom isn't earned; wisdom is the quality of having experience and knowledge which isn't necessarily done on purpose. I'm not saying that all are wise, but most have lived through enough to say that they are. Its alittle difficult to explain>.<

The young are arrogant, it's part of the hormonal thing. Older people are wise by virtue of their years of experience. Not all old people are wise though. Some are just old fools. Everyone has to learn their lessons and apply them...that's what wisdom is.

Our thoughts create our realities and most people derive their thoughts based on observation. If one derives their thoughts from observation rather than intent, the more they have observed, the greater the understanding they have as to the reality they have created. The older one is, the more they have observed so therefore, the greater the understanding. This greater understanding of course, makes one feel wise.

In my opinion, those that intentionally create their reality by choosing how they wish to think regardless of the circumstances they observe, are by far wiser than those that do not.

Living life loving.

I know that I know more than I was 16. You will know more than you know now when you are 50. Wisdom comes from making mistakes and learning from them. We have made more mistakes. Many people want to make their own mistakes. That does not mean that other people do not have wisdom. Not all older people are wise but in general they have learned more since they were younger. That is hard not to do.

I am 51. I have:

-birthed 2 children

-lost 3 pregnancies, two of which were ectopic pregnancies that almost killed me

-survived childhood sexual abuse

-watched as the world waged wars

-went to college twice

-was a pediatric RN for about 20 years and helped kids live, and helped some die

-raised an autistic child

-watched as 2 brothers died of AIDS as well as many others in the 80s

-had my dad go to war twice

-mentored lots of kids

-13 years of PTA work

-saw many friends die

-marched in DC for good causes

-survived a severe depression

Don't you think I deserve a little more respect than what you are implying?

-

There are cases where not everyone who is old is wise, yes. Problem is, many people confuse the word "wise". What is "wise?" Is it education? Certainly not. I don't care how educated you are. Book smart without life smart means nothing.

I agree with you. I would rather listen to someone in their 20s who has had a college education, has traveled a lot, and is in a high employment position than a person in their 90s who dropped out of high school and hasn't traveled more than 50 miles from their home town. I love the quote "It's not the years in the life that count, but the life in those years that counts"

Not all but many elderly people have been through a lot, you never know what they have seen or experienced throughout their lifetime. They have more experience with the good times and frustrations of life.