Letter: Age matters less than dreams and ideas

Posted Monday, June 24, 2019 4:21 pm

To the editor:

Does anyone else wonder at the fact that the leading candidates to be our next president, including Trump, are all over 70 and yet thousands of people across the country have been let go from their jobs in their 50s and found it very difficult to get re-hired? I can't think of a better example to illustrate the insanity of our current situation in America.

It seems that collective group thought has taken us over: People over 50 can't adjust to change or have too many opinions or want too high a salary. Yet when it comes to political leadership, youngsters like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez should stand in line and wait their turn, they can't possible have anything of merit to offer. Presidential candidates must look like a grandparent to have the experience/wisdom to lead the country. Trump blows that idea out of the water, doesn't he? Mayor Pete Buttigieg seems to have more wisdom than all the senior candidates combined.

Wisdom is a wonderful thing. Yes, it tends to come with age and experience but age is no guarantee. Conversely, many older people possess wisdom and experience that our workplaces need. Experience tells us that the latest best thing can be a big mistake. How many bean counters does a company have to bring in to realize how much is missed when employees are not listened to or included in decisions on product or policy? Maybe the problem is that older workers remember when quality came first, not quarterly profit. Maybe younger voters are correct when they ask why we can't have universal health care or just why we have to be afraid of the other.

Perhaps it's not about age or experience but about the willingness and ability to think new thoughts and dream new dreams.

Scott Haskell,

Lenox