Of Things Older

“Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy the truth and do not sell it, also wisdom, instruction and understanding” (Proverbs 23:22-23).

  We all have our preferences. We all like different things: from food to music, from colors to clothing, from quiet to loud, from organized to spontaneous, from the latest fads to the old classics, from the sparkling new to ageless antiques, from hot coffee to icy cold lemonade, from being reflective to being inquisitive. Most of our preferences come from our unique sensory feelings and  from our very personality but there is a timeless value in things older than us.

     I have always like old things. I tend to favor things from days gone by. I like old tools and gadgets, good lyrics with quieter instrumentation in music and anything that seems like an antique in some form.  I like old clocks with their clicking little brass gears, old art full of passion and expression, old books and even old fishing tackle.  Most of all, I like older people and what they have to say.  

     I have been blessed by my genuine affection and preference for older people over my entire life. I have always liked to listen to older people from the church as they would tell of their adventures in life. I still have many colorful images and details in my mind that cannot be found in any other place except for my memories. When I drive and travel, I am always stumbling around old buildings looking for someone connected to the house or the long forgotten business. I love to sit down and ask them about their life and pry into their philosophy of living. I love their little nuances of their language patterns, watching their eyes sparkle a bit when remembering their first loves and most of all, the advice that would be distinctly theirs as to how I might live out my life with some of their insights.

     Now that I am approaching the older side of my own life, I still love listening to older people. I have many older friends and I even find the nursing home a place of life as I like going there. The endless stories, the reflections, the slowness of the pace, the humor that sneaks out and the eagerness in letting others into their world are all things I like about being around older people. It is sad to me, that our culture seems to laugh at age as if it only happens to other people and to devalue most everything but the current and the popular.  If age in the sense of passing time makes antiques more valuable; doesn't the truth carry over making older people of more value and true treasures as well. In matters of faith, there are very few older saints that don’t have a wealth of insights, reflections and guidance which would be practical, appropriate and valuable to those younger.  It is a sad and ironic fact that often times as each new generation comes along, we generally prefer our peers to those that are older and wiser. We often make many needless mistakes before we realize the wisdom and value of things older in the generation before us.

     In the appreciation of people and things that are older, we may forgo some new thinking along the way and we may miss most of the latest trends but when we buy the truth of those who have lived before me, we could gain much and avoid a few of the major mistakes that would scar our lives. The wisdom, instruction, understanding and value of people that are older does not fade away with seasons and time but shines as timeless substance and truth. Things older remain as gifts for each new generation to discover and realize. We just need to see and open the packages all around us.

                                                  Suggested Reading ... Proverbs 23