The Older Generation

Yesterday’s lecture at the community center about the economic crisis in Spain went very well. These lectures are attended by the local retirees, and I really love American retirees. Older people in my own culture are always completely beaten down, miserable, decrepit, and extremely mean. The only hobby I ever saw them pursue is spreading vile rumors about their younger neighbors. In the US, however, people in their 70s and older are energetic, engaged, extremely interested in the world around them, eager to learn more about politics, arts, foreign affairs, etc., receptive, and kind.

They always listen to the lectures with such deep attention that I keep wishing my 20-year-old students were capable of such breathless concentration on the material.

The really positive thing about the lecture was that the projector didn’t work and I couldn’t put on my PowerPoint presentation. So the talk had to be given in the old-fashioned way: without any flashing screens to distract people from what I was saying. This worked very well for the retirees. They already knew a lot about Spain, and I didn’t have to spend half of the time narrating the basics.

Everybody always says that if you want to know a country’s potential, you should look at the young people. I, however, believe that we need to look at the older generation instead. In this country, you constantly see people of very advanced ages living full existences and in no way feeling left behind by the times. We are all moving in the direction where they are today, and it’s good to see that the place where the older people find themselves is exciting and intellectually stimulating.