Learning from the Younger

Assalaamu'alaikum.

Hello wonderful people. How's your life going? Hope it goes as you have expected. Aamiin.

So, today in this post I'd like to share my thought with you about willingness to learn from anybody, including from those who are younger than us. Here is the thought.

To keep their existence, people need to keep learning. They need to keep their capacity, capability, skills, updated and upgraded. There is always a way to do it. Learning from others would be the most plausible thing to do. 

Quite commonly, in Javanese culture, it would be easier to learn from the elderly. This may come from the fact that older people have more experiences. They have been through the hardship and success in the past. Therefore, there is no offfence in accepting them. There is also a culture that does not allow younger to object older people's ideas. Doing so is a part of society's violation. There is no other way than accepting and working on those ideas.

The age has changed, time keeps running. Globalization has played its roles. It exposes people, communities at any parts of the world to each others' cultures. Looking at each other has made people start putting themselves in the other's shoes. Quite pleasing, they start to judge that there are also values that they tought improper, but are considered proper in other cultures. Then open-mindedness realize itself in each community.

The culture of western people, which allows younger to speak out in giving ideas, brought different yet positive consequences. So, there is a two-way communication between the younger and the older. This positive culture makes it possible to accept and work on fresh ideas and then combine them with a more settled, well-structured system.

I personally agree with this openness. Although I was raised in a family and a community where the older are the better, I've opened my eyes and mind to different perspectives. Sometimes, that feeling of being offended still comes in myself when there is an idea from those who are younger than me. But, my logic keeps telling me to judge and evaluate, which quite often, in the end, pushes me to agree with them. Such a little contemplation and a moment-to-myself time has changed and shaped me into a person who is more open. I've learned that there's so much that I can learn from younger people. And I realized that I'm now a better version of myself after opening up my mind and learning from those people.

All and all, I would humbly say that when we're open to different ideas, that may come from both older and younger people, I can keep learning and changing myself to be someone new, who is better from time to time. Alhamdulillah and bismillah.

Wassalaamu'alaikum. Stay wonderful and let's share to empower and strengthen each other.