Have you ever heard the phrase "If I had known then what I know now."? Oh, that taunting phrase that governs the social section of a person’s mind. It can be found in every area of life. It affects the way toddlers think about babies, how children think about toddlers, how 8th graders think about 7th graders, how teenagers think about children, how young adults think about teenagers, how adults think about young adults, how old people think about adults, and how senile people think about old people.
Recently this issue has revealed itself to me more and more, especially after spending a weekend with my best friend Rachel, at the college she attends.
"It makes me laugh to think about when I used to come here for 'Visit Days'. It's so different than I thought it was going to be," she said as we walked past some high school senior deeply contemplating coming to SBU college next year.
It also reminded me of a conversation I had with some kids a while ago-
"Oh my gosh! I hate "sevies"! they are uh... Oh my goodness, I hate sevies."- Anonymous boy
''What are sevies?''- Me
"Seventh graders. They are so annoying. I hate sevies too."-Anonymous girl
"You guys were seventh graders last year!"
I wish so much that I could remember their reply... Alas, I hold no memory of it. However, that awful conversation haunts me to this day; the high haughty attitude of both the boy and the girl. From this conversation we can extract at least one thing: pride.
Often times people are sorted into classes: A rich man is first class; a poor man is low class. These classes aren't only defined by riches and rags, of course, but by attitudes, mannerisms, and shell. An average man with wit, kindness, and a good looking exterior, will usually always be invited to the lovely garden parties of the rich. However, an average man who is awkward, quiet and -shall we say- a little out of style, will often be disregarded as one of 'those people', and will most likely never receive an invitation. The definition of this is prejudice; an opinion made without adequate biases. A mon avis, No.
Though it is wrong, prejudices are often double sided. An average man of low class, my feel just as weirded out and uncomfortable around the rich people, as they feel around him. Therefore, rather than be invited to one of those lovely garden parties, he would infinitely prefer getting together with his average buddies and play a game of Nerts.
You will almost never find a child who does not look up to a teenager. Nor- though it is often unapparent- a teenager who does not secretly want to be a young adult. There won't be a young adult who doesn't respect an adult, (If there were, I would urge them to check themselves!). When it comes to age, the grass always looks greener in the future.
With the exception of Peter Pan of course, his grass is always green.
Yet we belittle and ridicule the ones who are just a year younger. We look down on them and say, "you little baby, why can’t you be more mature?" We have forgotten that we were them just last year. We have a strange absurd idea that we cannot be friends with them. That it would be considered lowering ourselves to enter into such a relationship. We are blinded and deceived by our pride. And unless we pray to God that He rips this mindset away from us, our happiness will be limited.
"Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young..."-Timothy 4:12
"I tell you the truth; anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."- mark 10:15
"Like newborn babies crave pure milk so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good" 1 Peter 2:2,3
