Avoiding Ageism

Across the world, societies are defined by how they treat both their youngest dreamers and their oldest keepers of wisdom. The relationship between youth and elders has always been one of the most delicate balances in human history a constant negotiation between innovation and tradition, energy and patience, vision and memory. In our fast-moving modern world, that balance is shifting. The digital age has elevated youth culture to global influence, while elders once seen as the moral and cultural anchors of the community often find their voices fading in public discourse. Yet, in every community that endures, the secret has always been the same: progress rooted in remembrance.

ELDERS AND WISDOM KEEPERS

11/12/20252 min read

a black and white photo of a man wearing a hat

When Youth Leads Without Listening

Today, young people are shaping industries, social movements, and entire economies. Their creativity and courage to disrupt the status quo are powerful drivers of change. From tech innovators in Nairobi to grassroots organizers in Chicago, youth leadership is rewriting what authority can look like. But with that energy comes a risk. When societies overprioritize youth celebrating speed, novelty, and disruption above all else we risk losing the depth and perspective that come only with time. Young employees (like Generation Y) generally show lower loyalty to a single company and have lower intentions to stay with the same job for a decade or more. Wisdom, earned through years of trial and observation, offers the context that helps energy find its purpose. Without it, even the most visionary ideas can become disconnected from the people they intend to serve.

When Experience Silences New Voices

On the other side, many communities still operate within hierarchies that undervalue the voices of the young. Tradition can become gatekeeping when experience is mistaken for superiority.

In boardrooms, faith communities, and local politics, the pattern repeats. Young innovators bring ideas that challenge convention, and instead of mentorship, they’re met with resistance. This tension isn’t new; it’s simply the growing pain of progress. youth-led political movements like #EndSARS in Nigeria or March for Our Lives in the U.S. decided generations before elders eventually partnered to support those efforts. When young people are silenced, innovation slows. When elders are ignored, wisdom is lost. Real progress demands that both be heard.

The Value of Intergenerational Collaboration

The most resilient communities whether families, businesses, or nations are those that build bridges between generations. True leadership doesn’t compete across age, it collaborates across it.

In traditional African societies, for example, the council of elders and youth guilds existed side by side. The elders offered guidance, while the young provided strength and innovation. Each role was essential to balance the other. When these exchanges happen, something extraordinary takes root: continuity. The dreams of the young gain structure, and the lessons of the old find renewal.

Reimagining Respect in a Changing World

Respect between generations is no longer just about age. It’s about empathy, curiosity, and shared purpose. In today’s world, wisdom isn’t measured only by years lived but by the willingness to learn continuously. Likewise, youth isn’t just a stage of life. It’s a spirit of possibility that can live in anyone who refuses to stop growing. We need new spaces real and digital where elders and youth can exchange knowledge as equals: councils, coworking spaces, cultural labs, and mentorship collectives that center dialogue instead of hierarchy because when we listen across generations, we don’t just share wisdom we multiply it.

Toward a Shared Future

The tension between youth and age is not a battle to be won; it’s a relationship to be nurtured. The young remind us that tomorrow is worth fighting for. The elders remind us that tomorrow must be built on what yesterday taught. Progress, then, is not about who leads but how we lead together. If energy is the flame and wisdom is the lantern, it’s only together that we can truly see the path ahead.