The authority of old age

I like the bit in the Importance of Being Ernest when Lady Bracknell utters those famous words "A Handbag!!". She speaks with the authority of age and everyone present knows that her opinion counts. This image of Lady Bracknell was in my mind when, at the age of 21, I had to tell my formidable grandmother that I was just about to graduate, unmarried and pregnant. To me this was more terrifying than facing childbirth itself - despite the fact that I had been in a relationship with the father of my child for five years and we had planned to marry soon, I knew that for her this was not how things were done and I knew, that to me at least, her opinion mattered.

Now, though, authority does not seem to sit with age. Old people are seen as somehow foolish, out of touch with the world and therefore unable to dictate to us what should be considered right or wrong. I suppose that in a world of such rapid technological change it is difficult to equate wisdom with someone who struggles to understand what a DVD is let alone how to actually play one. But this is wrong - we should look to the older generation for guidance and perhaps at times it would do us well to be a little bit scared of what they might think of us.