Cherish the Wisdom of the Elders

Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai
Cape Town, South Africa • November 28, 1999
(originally in English)

Teenagers, when they grow up, begin to question their parents' authority and wisdom. And I tell you, they're not always wrong. Most parents have children too young themselves. They are not themselves wise enough to lead other unwise human beings. But the system of our world is like that. So we grow up, many of us being frustrated with our parents, because they want to have the right and authority to tell us what to do. And then we sometimes question that because they are not always right. This is true. But they are authority figures. We cannot argue with them. Yet, we feel frustrated inside. Sometimes younger people have more wisdom than older people, because all of us have wisdom to begin with. It doesn't mean that if you are born later, you have less wisdom. It's not always true. It is because we are born with wisdom, you see!

But then, according to worldly experience, the parents should be a little older in order to understand how to raise their children. But in our society, if you have children, you have to raise them, no matter how old you are, and most people in this society even encourage people to marry early so that they can raise children early while they are strong. They are strong, but they might not be wise. The grandparents should raise the children. The wisdom of the elders is always more reliable, but in this society, when you are old, they throw you in the old age pensioners' home. Bye-bye! And then, young children try to raise other young children, so both are young and inexperienced. And the young parents often lose their tempers as well, because they are frustrated with themselves. They haven't found all the answers that they need. They are busy earning their living, supporting the beginning of their lives, and they have to raise children at the same time, so it is not a very favorable condition for either the kids or the parents. The parents don't have time to learn further because they are too busy raising kids and making money. And the elder who has all the wisdom, strength, tolerance and calmness of those in their mellow years is thrown out of society, his wisdom wasted. Well, the people of our world have a lot to learn, a lot, a lot to learn.