Do you relate better with older individuals?

[Winston]

I noticed while hiking that the only people that will say hi to me are old people and little kids. Especially little kids under 5. Why is that?

Why are the people between little kids and old people so much more paranoid, cold and business-like than those at either extreme?

Even when you're young, it's hard to get along with young people for some reason.

Also, why do many older people like to talk a lot and get long-winded? Have you noticed that sometimes when you just ask them one question, they yak on and on? Why do they do that? Is it because they are lonely and ignored, or because they have a lot of knowledge and wisdom to share, or both?

[Jester]

Also, why do many older people like to talk a lot and get long-winded? Have you noticed that sometimes when you just ask them one question, they yak on and on? Why do they do that? Is it because they are lonely and ignored, or because they have a lot of knowledge and wisdom to share, or both?

Winston, I find it hard to believe that you ever ASKED just "one question".

[QuestionMark]

Yes I have noticed that in certain ways I relate better to older people, and I consider that both a good and a bad thing.

Some older people are more mature, genuine, nicer, and down to earth. But also they can be annoying. A lot of them say they're looking for someone to talk to, but actually some are just looking for people to LISTEN to them talk. A conversation is two or more people talking to each other, not one person yapping the other's ear off just because they're old, lonely, and have a lot on their minds. And the thing is many of them aren't good listeners themselves.

I don't believe in the whole "respect your elders" nonsense, because some of them just use that to get you to respect them, but they won't respect you. I don't care how long someone has been on this earth, that in itself doesn't make them a good person, and entitled to ppl kissing their @$$. Respect has to be mutual. Also there are some old people who are condescending to younger people. Of course we can generalize when it comes to age, but there are some younger people who are intelligent, genuine, good people, and have knowledge and wisdom themselves, and there are some older people who are bitter, condescending, mean, and selfish.

But I have noticed that half of the good, deep, meaningful conversations I've had were with those who are older. At least they have something worth talking about in life.

Of course old people will just go up and talk to strangers. Young people generally won't do this, especially good looking women. Young people are all about being "cool". Unless you're perceived as cool, people won't talk to you, be friendly to you, or really include you socially. I'm ashamed to be in Gen Y. When I was growing up, young adults (even those college-aged), acted like adults. Now the norm is for young adults to act like immature, superficial kids. They're all about facebook, hanging out with the "cool", ignoring and dumping on the "non-cool". Nowadays society even tries to make this out to be a good thing by creating this "prolonged adolescence" or "emerging adulthood" bull$h!t. I don't believe in or support those. In this way, I agree with the old school, full adulthood at 18. And some teens and young adults will even give you crap if they feel like you're being too adult. Um, excuse me, being mature and acting like an adult (even at a young age) is a good thing. And that says something about young people today if that's seen as a bad thing and a reason for ridicule.

This makes it very hard for young people (especially men) to have an authentic, meaningful interaction or relationship with others. Because most others your own age are f@ck!ng dumb, cruel, or shallow, and others who are older might be more like you in some ways but they could be annoying, talk too much, don't listen, or are condescending to you because you're younger than them.

[Winston]

Have u noticed that usually only old people and little kids are friendly? But everything in between is stuck up and closed and thinks they are "too cool to talk to u" etc? Its very sad. And f***ed up.

Lots of old souls and introverts tell me that they only relate better with older people and little kids. But not people their own age. Very sad huh?

Children are more innocent, playful and freespirited. Older people are wiser and more down to earth and not trying to impress others or raise their social status or conform or worry about what others think of them. So they can be themselves. But the people in between are all business and only concerned with work and money and conformity. Thats obviously f***ed up and dysfunctional.

ssjparris also told me that older people also tend to have long term friends that they've known for decades, whom they say go way back. Thats true. Because they value friendships more.

[yick]

Yep, always did, even as a kid.

[jamesbond]

I have always gotten along better with older people than younger people.

[IraqVet2003]

I have always related better with people older than me than younger one also.

[josephty2]

I was going to start a thread about this too.

How come the easiest people to have a mature down to earth conversation with are older people and other freethinkers like us?

Little kids are also friendlier, more open and more nonjudgmental too. But once they become teens, they start to become stuck up and cliquish. Why is that? It's so sad.

So I guess little kids and older adults are more open and easy to talk to than people in between.

Most teens never lived outside the country for at least 50 consecutive days.