A Tale as Old as Time
A simple moment of eavesdropping on a father lecturing his son sparks a reflection on the timeless cycle of elders passing down wisdom that youth often reject, only to later embrace. The piece highlights how this generational dynamic is both universal and inevitable.
I was having lunch this week, alone. So naturally, when you have lunch alone, you overhear conversations around you and, to put it plainly, eavesdrop. The subject of my people-watching was a father and son duo: a twenty-something-year-old son and his father. I was first drawn to the conversation because they were speaking a language that sounded familiar but wasn’t, like Spanish or Italian, but not really either of them. I could make some words out but not really understand what language it was. After listening for a couple of minutes, I realized that the father was speaking this unknown language and the son was responding in English. Also, the father was being slightly preachy, and it was a partially one-sided conversation. Clearly, the son was not in the best of moods and was being lectured by his father. My interest piqued, as most young men can relate to such an experience. I was curious, and my chicken was only half-finished.
I listened, and then boom, I got the gist of what they were talking about. To put it simply, the father was giving his son advice on what to do for his career/work, and the son was refuting his father, insisting he had a plan to do his own thing and work on some online business, etc. Honestly, not a particularly special or interesting conversation. BUT it got me thinking beyond their conversation. It got me thinking about how many times I have been told by my father, teachers, or really anyone older than me, about life wisdoms and practical advice. Advice that has been lived through and comes from a mature and experienced set of minds. Like the son, I have in many cases refuted the advice and thought to myself, “Oh, this old man has no idea. The world is different.” I know this is not an exclusive experience to me; this is something that most, if not all, men face when growing up. It’s a tale as old as time: the elder passing on wisdom to the apprentice, wisdom gained through years of trial and error. The apprentice rejects the wisdom, claiming the elder is outdated. There is a second part to this tale.
With time, the apprentice/son will live, experience, and trot his own path. And as time passes, he will realize that ultimately the elder/father was right all along. Everything he said, in some way, shape, or form, was true, many times in ways that one could not comprehend when first hearing the words.
So, a simple eavesdropping of a father and son conversation enlightened me on a millennia-old practice: the passing down of information through generations, neglected by the youth, only to be embraced with time. It is in human nature to want to learn for ourselves, to make our own mistakes and chart our own path, just as it is to defy our masters and break free from what we are told. I too, neglect certain excerpts of information that were gracefully handed to me by seasoned advice-givers, just as I embrace undeniable truths that I once so wholeheartedly denied with youthful arrogance. I say this with as much certainty that, hopefully, one day I will provide my wisdom to my children, only to be received by non-embracing minds. But that is life. It is a tale as old as time: The elder wants to pass his wisdom to his son/junior. The junior believes the elder is outdated. With time, he will realize everything he said was true.
Also, I’m pretty sure the father was speaking Italian, but I’m not entirely sure.
I was having lunch this week, alone. So naturally, when you have lunch alone, you overhear conversations around you and, to put it plainly, eavesdrop. The subject of my people-watching was a father and son duo: a twenty-something-year-old son and his father. I was first drawn to the conversation because they were speaking a language that sounded familiar but wasn’t, like Spanish or Italian, but not really either of them. I could make some words out but not really understand what language it was. After listening for a couple of minutes, I realized that the father was speaking this unknown language and the son was responding in English. Also, the father was being slightly preachy, and it was a partially one-sided conversation. Clearly, the son was not in the best of moods and was being lectured by his father. My interest piqued, as most young men can relate to such an experience. I was curious, and my chicken was only half-finished.
I listened, and then boom, I got the gist of what they were talking about. To put it simply, the father was giving his son advice on what to do for his career/work, and the son was refuting his father, insisting he had a plan to do his own thing and work on some online business, etc. Honestly, not a particularly special or interesting conversation. BUT it got me thinking beyond their conversation. It got me thinking about how many times I have been told by my father, teachers, or really anyone older than me, about life wisdoms and practical advice. Advice that has been lived through and comes from a mature and experienced set of minds. Like the son, I have in many cases refuted the advice and thought to myself, “Oh, this old man has no idea. The world is different.” I know this is not an exclusive experience to me; this is something that most, if not all, men face when growing up. It’s a tale as old as time: the elder passing on wisdom to the apprentice, wisdom gained through years of trial and error. The apprentice rejects the wisdom, claiming the elder is outdated. There is a second part to this tale.
With time, the apprentice/son will live, experience, and trot his own path. And as time passes, he will realize that ultimately the elder/father was right all along. Everything he said, in some way, shape, or form, was true, many times in ways that one could not comprehend when first hearing the words.
So, a simple eavesdropping of a father and son conversation enlightened me on a millennia-old practice: the passing down of information through generations, neglected by the youth, only to be embraced with time. It is in human nature to want to learn for ourselves, to make our own mistakes and chart our own path, just as it is to defy our masters and break free from what we are told. I too, neglect certain excerpts of information that were gracefully handed to me by seasoned advice-givers, just as I embrace undeniable truths that I once so wholeheartedly denied with youthful arrogance. I say this with as much certainty that, hopefully, one day I will provide my wisdom to my children, only to be received by non-embracing minds. But that is life. It is a tale as old as time: The elder wants to pass his wisdom to his son/junior. The junior believes the elder is outdated. With time, he will realize everything he said was true.
Also, I’m pretty sure the father was speaking Italian, but I’m not entirely sure.
I was having lunch this week, alone. So naturally, when you have lunch alone, you overhear conversations around you and, to put it plainly, eavesdrop. The subject of my people-watching was a father and son duo: a twenty-something-year-old son and his father. I was first drawn to the conversation because they were speaking a language that sounded familiar but wasn’t, like Spanish or Italian, but not really either of them. I could make some words out but not really understand what language it was. After listening for a couple of minutes, I realized that the father was speaking this unknown language and the son was responding in English. Also, the father was being slightly preachy, and it was a partially one-sided conversation. Clearly, the son was not in the best of moods and was being lectured by his father. My interest piqued, as most young men can relate to such an experience. I was curious, and my chicken was only half-finished.
I listened, and then boom, I got the gist of what they were talking about. To put it simply, the father was giving his son advice on what to do for his career/work, and the son was refuting his father, insisting he had a plan to do his own thing and work on some online business, etc. Honestly, not a particularly special or interesting conversation. BUT it got me thinking beyond their conversation. It got me thinking about how many times I have been told by my father, teachers, or really anyone older than me, about life wisdoms and practical advice. Advice that has been lived through and comes from a mature and experienced set of minds. Like the son, I have in many cases refuted the advice and thought to myself, “Oh, this old man has no idea. The world is different.” I know this is not an exclusive experience to me; this is something that most, if not all, men face when growing up. It’s a tale as old as time: the elder passing on wisdom to the apprentice, wisdom gained through years of trial and error. The apprentice rejects the wisdom, claiming the elder is outdated. There is a second part to this tale.
With time, the apprentice/son will live, experience, and trot his own path. And as time passes, he will realize that ultimately the elder/father was right all along. Everything he said, in some way, shape, or form, was true, many times in ways that one could not comprehend when first hearing the words.
So, a simple eavesdropping of a father and son conversation enlightened me on a millennia-old practice: the passing down of information through generations, neglected by the youth, only to be embraced with time. It is in human nature to want to learn for ourselves, to make our own mistakes and chart our own path, just as it is to defy our masters and break free from what we are told. I too, neglect certain excerpts of information that were gracefully handed to me by seasoned advice-givers, just as I embrace undeniable truths that I once so wholeheartedly denied with youthful arrogance. I say this with as much certainty that, hopefully, one day I will provide my wisdom to my children, only to be received by non-embracing minds. But that is life. It is a tale as old as time: The elder wants to pass his wisdom to his son/junior. The junior believes the elder is outdated. With time, he will realize everything he said was true.
Also, I’m pretty sure the father was speaking Italian, but I’m not entirely sure.