I get upset by rash and rebellious teenagers. Why can’t they behave properly?”
– Harish. 52 years.
The “rash” teenage mind appears naturally rebellious to you, friend. In fact it isn’t rebellious at all. I would prefer to say that your mind has been tamed and tethered. It’s your mind that won’t stray from its confines. It’s your mind that gets upset when someone does not conform to the behaviour patterns that you have succumbed to.
Truly the teenage mind is free from the bondage. It hasn’t yet surrendered to fate, to society, to lethargy. It’s still alive and kicking. Its very nature is to experiment, and when it looks at something, it sees it as you would have seen it when you were a teen yourself — as something fresh and new. Alas, your memories of your youth seem to have faded, and you might not recall those heady days anymore.
As we grow older, our minds get more and more brittle — unless we step in and consciously, deliberately make it flexible once more.
Youth has exuberance but no experience. Old age has experience but no exuberance. If you can recharge your lost energy and enthusiasm you will enjoy the best of both worlds. You will never again complain about rash teenagers because you will be a bit “rash” yourself, and be busy enjoying every minute of it.
The whole problem comes when we think that we have become too old. When we lock ourselves with notions of “proper behaviour”. Get rid of the notion of “proper behaviour”.
Become ageless — which means gain the ability to be any age you want to be. Come on, it’s not too difficult. At 52 your mind must be urging you to do so many things. Lose weight, do Yoga, become flexible, walk, run, get a fit body, whatever. Just do what your mind is asking you to do. Spend a minute each day remembering your teenage days. These simple things will surely make you youthful once again.
The worst thing a man in his fifties can do is to criticise youth for their behavior. The only cure for that is to become young yourself. Sure, other oldies will add your name in their list of complaints; but that’s their problem isn’t it?