Should We Listen to Old and Experienced People

        We tend to think that the old and experienced are wiser than them. So we pay attention to people who are older and more experienced than us. However this is not the best, this is because that people who are older and more experienced can be foolish as we are and make the worst decisions. This statement is described in several fields from literature to even war.

        First of all, in Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, the protagonist Romeo get banished from Verona for killing Tybalt, who is Juliet’s cousin. Meanwhile when Romeo was hiding in Mantua, Juliet’s wedding with Count Paris has been decided. Juliet, who is already in love with Romeo rejects to marry Paris and seeks Friar Lawrence for help. The Friar suggests that Juliet take a potion that would make her seem dead and while she is buried in her grave, then let Romeo to take her. The night before the wedding Juliet drinks the potion in her bed. Juliet’s wedding turns into a solemn funeral and she is buried that day. Romeo fails to receive a letter from the Friar informing him about the plan and hears from his man that Juliet is dead. In Verona, Romeo discovers Juliet in her graves and commits suicide. Unfortunately, after waking up Juliet also kills herself. Friar was one of the wisest men in Romeo and Juliet and yet his plan has only led to the death of a loving couple. This shows how even the wisest can be the most foolish.

        Secondly, during World War II, one of the commanders made a thoughtless decision. In one of the battles, believing in his dominance over quantities, the commander decided to just rush with the army. Though lacking in number the Germans had the top-notch weapons and the decision led to the death of several soldiers. Despite the victory they achieved the loss was too big to balance the gain. It would have been wiser to adopt a different strategy in attacking the enemy forces. However the commander failed to perceive it and made the worst choice possible. Commanders are usually people who are old and veterans of war. They have deep insight from their age and experience; nevertheless the commander had to win only by overwhelming the enemy with troops and not by tactics. This example clearly demonstrates why we should not always pay attention to people who are older and experienced.