Today I heard some disturbing news on the radio. Studies have shown that the cognitive powers of the brain and the reasoning power, etc. peak at age 22 and begin to diminish at age 27! So, it now seems all you young things have scientific evidence to support your theory that you should not listen to anyone over age 30. My brain has been walking away from me for sometime now.
This gives employers a legitimate reason to discriminate and not to hire, and indeed to fire, old codgers like me and many millions of Americans! Corporate America has been treating the mature employee poorly for longer than I can remember. They use them, and abuse them and then throw them out with the rest of the garbage. Now, they have science on their side to do so. They think they can hire those aged 22 and get more out of them (and put less into them) than they can the old folks. They overlook the experience and wisdom gained from years of living and working. Even though our brain power has been draining from us old timers for some time does not mean there is no more wisdom or knowledge there. It may take us a little longer to get at it or to get it out so we can use it, but it is there and we know how to use it. What drains out leaves room for the new information and knowledge to come in. I happen to think us old codgers still have a lot to offer.
But, if science says we are becoming obsolete and worthless, then I guess we have no choice. With our brains leaving us, I guess we will just have to become vegetables. I wanna be a carrot.
2 comments:
That's a ridiculous study. Unless they're saying that 22-year-olds can pick up on violent video games quicker than a 50-year-old, or that a 22-year-old can figure out what buttons to push on their iPod (or even what an iPod is) faster than a 50-year-old. In that case, it's probably true.
But saying that employers have a legitimate reason to choose a 22-year-old over a 50-year-old is ridiculous. They actually have every reason to do the opposite...unless, of course, it has to do with body strength and agility. I will give 20-somethings that: their bodies are usually better equipped to handle manual labour than 50-somethings.
I cannot, however, agree, that 20-somethings have it better than 50-somethings when it comes to brains.
I think the younger mind can grasp modern technology quicker than us older folks, but they haven't got anything on life experiences and knowledge like we have. There are a lot of companies out there that prefer the "mature" employee because they have developed a strong work ethic over the years, and they are reliable. So, don't give up yet. Besides, the Bible says: "Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly." (Leviticus 19:32)
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