On the importance of sharing intergenerational wisdom

Most households today are not as they would have been centuries ago. Once, three and even four generations used to live in the same house together. Today, most US households average only one or two generations. Though this shift has brought about greater independence and privacy, it also presents missed opportunities.

One of the most important of these new consequences is the lack of intergenerational wisdom. Intergenerational wisdom encompasses knowledge, ideas, and skills that are shared among generations: children, as well as young, middle-aged, and older adults. Whereas this used to be an ingrained aspect of daily life, it is now something that may only happen during a short visit or vacation.

Older adults are often disregarded in today’s society as being irrelevant, close minded, or uninteresting. This is simply not true. Older adults have a wealth of knowledge and understanding about the world that younger generations would benefit from, if they would only take the time to listen. Older adults have seen firsthand what we read about in history books. They have learned to cope with many of life’s challenges, and they have had a huge variety of experiences about which they have fascinating stories to tell. They also have a lifetime of skills to share, whether professional, artistic, culinary, or mechanical, which young people would do well to learn from.

And the knowledge sharing does not only go one way: Just as older adults can pass down their wisdom, younger adults can pass up some current ways of the world, offer perspectives that make older adults question their own, and share interesting stories about their own experiences so far. Perhaps one of the most crucial elements of passing knowledge up in this day and age is technological literacy. Sharing this knowledge with older adults could not only benefit their life, but could benefit relationships among older and younger adults as well.

Importantly, intergenerational wisdom sharing doesn’t have to take place in families alone. Communities, coworkers, friends, and even strangers are great people to talk to as well. In a society which so often disregards older adults’ importance, it can be especially beneficial to reach out to someone you may not know too well. 

Passing knowledge among generations today may be harder than it used to be, but there are still many ways to go about it. Schedule a phone call with your grandparent or aunt, talk to someone at your local cafe, or even read books or blogs written by older adults. You may be surprised by how much your own perspective on the world may shift.

— Rachael Alberts