Don’t Sleep On The Benefit Of Having Younger And Older Friendships
Prevent Small-Mindedness
You probably know older people who struggle to adapt to the times. Maybe it’s an aunt or a boss who judges everything people ages 16-25 are doing. They even wind up saying politically incorrect and insensitive things – because they don’t know better. Chances are that they don’t have younger friends.
Having younger friends helps you stay connected to how the next generation develops and thinks. One time, you were “the young person” with the “radical” ideas. Now, those ideas are mostly mainstream. Many societal shifts in young people today will be considered normal one day. Befriending that generation helps you understand more intimately and measuredly why young people think and behave as they do. It enables you to keep expanding your mind at every age. In a way, intergenerational friendships keep you ageless.
