They say about people past their prime that the phrase ‘you can’t teach old dogs new tricks’ seem to apply to them. Every new technology seems to be so difficult for older people to learn and enjoy. They feel that these new technological gadgets like email, the internet, cell phone, etc, make life too complicated, they would rather keep things simple by doing what they are already familiar with. To a certain extent, there is no need to further complicate one’s life when what they are comfortable with things that still serve their practical needs. However, if you want to stay competitive in the workforce, you will need to adapt to the present times. Very few people past their prime succeed in keeping fit - not just physically, but mentally. How so?
First, take a look at the young. They’re naturally curious, adventurous, and they have very few things to worry or to be afraid about. That is why they are reckless. In a sense, they are building a past for they, at that human stage of development, have none. And, because they have no past to reminisce, then their whole attention is towards the present. Today and tomorrow, two time segments have no clear demarcation. Certainly, the young know fear; but their curiosity and adventurism gets the better of them. This is why they learn new things, more confidently. Without their knowing, their motto is ‘Where there is a will, there is a way’. It’s no wonder that Nike’s “Just do it” resonates with the young and the bold. But the young lack wisdom and do silly things. That is not their excuse. It is a fact of being young.
The ones past their prime have a long past. It’s the familiar faces, streets, people, certain ways of behaving, the same objects of fear, and pleasure - that make up their comfort zone.. All are stored in their past, in their memory. And, even if they are still afraid of certain things that occasionally make their entrance in the present, the old are comforted by the fact that they familiar with what they’re afraid of. It’s the unknown, the unfamiliar that they are most afraid of. That is why they stay away from anything new and unfamiliar, different and strange. “You can’t teach old dogs new tricks’ would seem to capture the general attitude of the old.
Yet, it’s those over 40 (or, 45) and older who have a lot to gain. They have a repertoire of knowledge, of wisdom (sometimes), and if they remember how they have learned when they were young, then they would, should know better that there is really, really nothing to be afraid of. From their experiences, they have learned from trials and tribulations. And, what they should have realized was that they survived, and at times, triumph. But because of fear, they stuck to it and forgot that they had actually survived and lived to tell the stories. They should have acknowledge the fact that because of fear, or rather despite of fear, they survived and lived to tell their stories. To spell it out: they remembered much of what they fear that they have overlooked the pleasure of accomplishment. It was their choice, and unfortunately, many, belonging to that age group, have chosen to stick to what is familiar: places, people, ways of behaving, ways of thinking. They could have learned new things about present reality; yet they had chosen to believe that they’re way too old for that. It’s thinking old that prevents one from thinking new.
True, there are more physical limitations as one ages; but that does not mean you’re an old dog. True, there is less brain power; but that should not stop anyone from learning about how he had learned when he was young so as to learn anew. Really, when one is already old (-er), what is there to lose?
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