Live life to the fullest and experience each moment of it

In Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, Lord Henry says to Dorian: “Ah! Realise your youth while you have it. There is nothing in the world but youth!”

Growing up, we are taught to respect elders and age is frequently equated with wisdom gained from experience. Lord Henry would frown upon this and argue that the young too experience the world. And if anything, their way is less conditioned and more questioning.

What may appear to be a frivolous, self-centred view of the world is sometimes just being more in touch with one’s gut feeling and an appetite for change in the young. In fact, our best chance of making an educated guess about the future is to be in conversation with young people. It is rather unfortunate that this opportunity is so often lost when independent thinking is discounted as a passing phase of pointless rebellion or completely shut down as impertinent.

I have seen university students unafraid of admitting not understanding something in the initial stages of their studies. However, with time, they learn to mask ignorance or half-baked understanding. Perhaps they are only emulating the “more experienced and mature” world around them?

As successive generations attain maturity and experience life at an ever younger age, we need to challenge established notions associated with age. Instead, we seem to be placing progressively greater burdens on the young to grow up fast while refusing to recognise their vital contribution of energy, authenticity and hope. We are besotted by the desire of remaining young longer while losing touch with our inner youthfulness far too soon.