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Do you think you're getting wiser as you're getting older?

username3118454

I think I am.
When I was 16:

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I was against gay marriage

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I was against abortion

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I was completely for the death penalty

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I now believe there is wisdom in all religions

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I now believe there is goodness in all people

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I'm open to the idea of not eating meat (though I still do)

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I don't think people are at fault for being evil (it has a lot to do with genes/upbringing)

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probably many more reasons...

Anyone else?

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Reply 1

chesslover246

Original post by angelike1

I think I am.
When I was 16:

•

I was against gay marriage

•

I was against abortion

•

I was completely for the death penalty

•

I now believe there is wisdom in all religions

•

I now believe there is goodness in all people

•

I'm open to the idea of not eating meat (though I still do)

•

I don't think people are at fault for being evil (it has a lot to do with genes/upbringing)

•

probably many more reasons...

Anyone else?

Not necessarily. A young person could be as knowledgeable as an adult, perhaps in different respects. It depends on how fast they learn, their interests and their curiosity as three notable factors.

Reply 2

RebelDreaming

you seemed better at 16 if you changed from those original opinions :frown:

Reply 3

MidgetFever

Definitely.
I was one of those idiot teens wasting my life on going out every weekend and trying questionable things.
I didn't think of the consequences as such, or why I was doing it.

Realised there was much more to life and I had the potential to do a lot more than I previously thought.

Reply 4

username3118454

Original post by RebelDreaming

you seemed better at 16 if you changed from those original opinions :frown:

lol which ones?

Reply 5

username4952620

I wouldn't say wiser... But funnier? Yes. Confident? Yes. I guess I'm more educated on certain things now that at 13, I thought would be totally acceptable to do or say.

Reply 6

londonmyst

Maybe.
As life experience and knowledge of the past increases so does awareness of the world around us.
Along with the need to avoid repeating past mistakes and to always heed gut instincts.

I'm still against the death penalty.
I still believe there are positive elements in nearly all religions.
I believe that almost every person has at least two genuinely positive habits or characteristics.
I'm open to the idea of people choosing to eat meat, be vegan or follow any other dietary lifestyle they prefer.
I still believe that evil people are very rare but always at fault, extremely clever at disguising themselves & their evil deeds/agenda and highly skilled at blaming others whenever they are exposed as evil.

Reply 7

NonIndigenous

Original post by angelike1

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I don't think people are at fault for being evil (it has a lot to do with genes/upbringing)

I don't think that is wise at all. If you convince individuals that their behavior is entirely a product of their genes and upbringing, and has nothing to do with their own decisions, then you're asking for more bad decisions.

Reply 8

z-hog

Now that is growing up. Wisest is he or she who knows they don't know, teenagers thinking they know it all are all too common.

Reply 9

Aabb123

From a psychology background.

No one is born evil- experiences and upbringing makes people bad.

Not much to do with biology. Most criminals/ murderers come from very dysfunctional upbringing and have experienced trauma.

We are all born as a blank slate and innocent.

But yes I do think I’m getting wiser as I get older.

I’be always been quite liberal tbh, gay Marriage is completely fine , same with abortion and so on.

I have never believed in religion though or a greater force.

Reply 10

username3118454

Original post by NonIndigenous

Not convincing anyone - its just a fact.

Reply 11

NonIndigenous

Original post by Aabb123

That is true, but they never improve unless you make them realise that only they can change their own behavior. If you instead just feed them the idea that it's all the fault of their past upbringing and genes instead, there is no incentive for them to change their behavior in the present. By blaming their past experiences and upbringing, you've not even convinced them that there is anything they can do about it in the first place.

If they refuse to change in the present when given the choice, you can no longer blame their upbringing or genes for it. It is them. But fine, if you want to say that they are 'difficult' and need even more time and space... then you have to think on a greater scale:

We all have limited time and energy, and a limited amount of money in the country. One person who is more cooperative and wants to fix their own life, is worth more of your time and effort than another who is entirely set in his ways and regrets nothing. Scale that up into what we call the justice system, and there just aren't the resources necessary available to rehabilitate every hard-core psychopath. And there is little evidence that those can be rehabilitated anyway. Why forgo helping 10 others who want it, in favor of helping 1 who doesn't want it, or only pretends that he does and manipulates you just to get favorable treatment in prison?

And there are actually cases where newborns do not display the expected emotional attachment to their parents, despite their parents being perfectly good and caring. I've forgotten the details of these cases however. It's regretful that some are born that way, but I'm not sure there's much that can be done about it. Mostly, parents are believed to play a very large role though. But that still is extremely difficult to fix, depending how early in the person's life it happened.

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 12

NonIndigenous

Original post by angelike1

Not convincing anyone - its just a fact.

No, you are talking tripe. You are implying none of us make our own choices. That is not a fact, it is rubbish, and teaching people to hold such attitudes is dangerous. Such an attitude allows some people to do whatever evil they feel like, and not feel like they're at all responsible for it.

No.

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 13

username3118454

Original post by NonIndigenous

agree to disagree

Reply 14

oliviawilsonnn

You become wiser but it is more difficult to see because with that you become more aware of your shortcomings and what you don't know...

Reply 15

gjd800

You pick things up don't you. I dunno if I'd phrase it like this, or even say that I held any real wisdom of my own at all

I'm more comfortable saying 'I dunno' than I was as a younger lad, but at the same time a lot of my convictions have really solidified, and I think on some things I am less likely to be moved now than I was 15 years ago which is sometimes problematic and other times a virtue

Reply 16

bimbibap

I dont know if I’m wise but I definitely feel like I’ve lost my certainty about life, when I was 16

I had very strong beliefs about life and morality
I believed people were either good or evil no gray
I refused to understand people’s motivations for their actions
I was very conservative (not saying there is anything wrong with this it’s just simply an observation)
I disliked the idea of marriage and saw it as a surrendering myself to a man

Now at 20
My beliefs on morality are more subjective, I like to look at things contextually which can come across as indecisive and weak
I try to see the goodness in others
I believe that when people commit crimes, society/community is partly to blame
I am more religious

Reply 17

Moussaillon92110

Hi. If you seek wisdom, you may find it. But if you just age without actively seeking wisdom, it will pass you by many times per day. Wisdom has this thing were, it annihilate the ego in a positive way. Enlightenment is understanding of the deeper meaning of life, and will shake you to your core. So social norms becomes futile. You just become this very chilled person, ready to feed the thoughts of those who really need it, with their permission, of course.

Reply 18

Anonnorth

No matter how old you are you are never too old to continue learning about things, yourself and others.
You start to realise everything is not black and white in life.
You discover that the world does not owe you a good life, you have to put in the effort to get that.
You tend to stop relying on others to organise yourself, especially in times of crisis.

Reply 19

goggleyed

I am 30 and can - without a doubt - say that I am most definitely a lot wiser now than before. I think thats one of the major advantages to getting older, your brain just naturally expands and things start to make more sense to you. Thats why I look forward to getting even older. Sure I'll lose my 'looks' and youth and it may get a little harder to get out of bed but I'm looking forward to seeing how much wiser I'll be and what I'll know and learn.