Pirates of the Caribbean III: The Plunge

Sometimes the direction that society is taking reminds me of a scene from Pirates of the Caribbean. Two opposing pirate ships push into a swirling vortex that plunges into the depths of the ocean, shooting at each other even as they go down. We lose valuable assets when we pursue similar societal behaviors. Today called one such asset to my attention. I was speaking with my grandfather about his life's work in a steel mill. It was wonderful to observe as he conjured up the past for my viewing pleasure; I was the passenger as he relived a significant period in his life. I was struck by the amount of detailed knowledge and experience that he could relate. Having experienced more than 80 years of life and almost 60 years of marriage and children, my grandfather is the source of a vast accumulation of knowledge and its applied form, wisdom. Lamentably, today's society views the elderly as a burden to be born, rather than a trove of knowledge to be delved into with vigor. The world's wisdom is rusting away when it should be burnished to a glossy shine. The cankerous source? Society's own: Indifference and Arrogance.