Do you listen to younger people?

[Route246]

Throughout my entire career and adult life I observed older friends and colleagues and saw characteristics I did not like and vowed never to become.

Do you listen to younger people around you? What I mean is do you actually listen and digest and then think about what they have to say? Peter Lynch used to find growth stocks by asking his young children what they thought about stores at the mall or products in the marketplace in order to find the next big growth stock.

Younger people are the future. We are the legacy. Listen. Learn. Pay it forward.

--I wrote this from my heart but as an afterthought I wanted to test ChatGPT which is something young people are embracing. I work in this space but the demand for large language models will be driven by younger people, they have told me as much. Here is a ChatGPT enhanced version of what I wrote.

Title: Embracing the Wisdom of Youth

Introduction:

Throughout my career and adult life, I have had the opportunity to observe older friends and colleagues, which allowed me to reflect on certain characteristics that I found unappealing. As a result, I made a personal commitment to never embody those traits myself.

Body:

One crucial aspect of this commitment is actively listening to younger people around me. It's not just about hearing their words; it's about truly absorbing and contemplating their perspectives. Peter Lynch, an accomplished investor, exemplified the value of this practice. He sought the insights of his young children when identifying potential growth stocks, recognizing the unique viewpoint they possessed as consumers.

Furthermore, younger individuals are the future—the very embodiment of our collective legacy. Their ideas, experiences, and aspirations hold immense significance. Therefore, it is imperative that we listen attentively, learn from their perspectives, and subsequently pay it forward to future generations.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, my determination to avoid the negative traits I witnessed in older individuals has led me to embrace the wisdom and potential of younger people. By actively listening, digesting their insights, and engaging with their thoughts, we can tap into their fresh perspectives and innovative ideas. Let us remember that the youth are not just the future; they are the architects of our legacy. It is through listening, learning, and paying it forward that we can foster a better world for generations to come.

Please note that this is just a suggested revision based on the provided text. Feel free to make any further adjustments or ask for specific changes if needed.

 

[Morgan22]

Do you listen to younger people around you?

Absolutely! Especially my kids and my former, younger, coworkers. They know more about newer technologies than I do. They have made/make great time saving suggestions. Saves/has saved me time doing research to remedy many issues I've run into.

 

[gutterman]

I enjoy talking to my kids and their friends. It provides a refreshing perspective on things.

 

[MC Rider]

Sure. As long as they do not have a bunch of facial tattoos. What is up with that?

 

[Gumby]

Well, the tattoos are on the outside. In my view, it's what's inside that counts.

 

[MC Rider]

Well, the tattoos are on the outside. In my view, it's what's inside that counts.

Agree. But what is on the outside is a reflection of what is inside.
Nothing against tattoos, but why on your face?

 

[Gumby]

Agree. But what is on the outside is a reflection of what is inside.
Nothing against tattoos, but why on your face?

I could not say. I wouldn't do it, but then I don't have any tattoos at all.

 

[MC Rider]

No tats here either.

 

[ER Eddie]

Do you listen to younger people around you? What I mean is do you actually listen and digest and then think about what they have to say?

Well, it depends. Do I know them? Do I care about them? Do I respect their opinion? Do they know what they're talking about?

If so, then yes, I listen.

But I spend a lot of time on the internet, on Youtube, sometimes in the comments sections. There are a lot of young people there. If I listened carefully to everything they said, my mind would deteriorate into pudding.

So, it depends.

Same goes for old people.

 

[donheff]

I like the sentiment and enjoy using AI but I worry that all correspondence may drift into some indistinguishable Chat mean. But, darn, it writes better than I do.

 

[Midpack]

I didn’t always, but I try to listen to everyone. Learned that at work as a manager. And found it enhanced quality of life outside work to listen to anyone/everyone - all ages. Obviously you still have to be selective about what you take from each encounter, but it beats not listening in the first place.

If I was making a statement, I’d say listen to everyone, not just young folks. Repeating the adage from a recent thread, ‘you never learn anything when you are talking.’

I used to follow Peter Lynch closely. While he did listen to his daughters and friends, that was coupled with him sitting at malls he took them to, and watching which stores had lots of foot traffic and which didn’t. That’s where he discovered The Body Shop and The Gap before it was obvious to others. He also bought Hanes after his wife raved about L’Eggs.

 

[iloveyoga]

Yes, I have learned so much from my son's generation and then my grandkids. They know so many different things that I don't know and I really enjoy their viewpoint.

 

[Dawg52]

I don't know a lot of young people other than neighbors at my beach condo. I do listen to them as they are very nice. But I do run into people of all ages and my ears are open to all.

 

[Badger]

I listen to anyone that has something worth listening to. Age does not enter into it but I also don't assume that just because they are younger that they have wisdom any more than if they are older. This also applies to knowledge and experience.

Cheers!

 

[Aerides]

If you ever want a nice photo taken, hand your phone to a GenZ'er!

I learn a lot from my niece (21) and nephew (18). Whenever my sister has any sort of family gathering, I'm more often spending time with the kids and their friends than anyone my age. But not on purpose. Usually because I want to know what's going on in their fun lives.

I would find it just as obnoxious if someone suggested we should listen to youngs over olds as the reverse. It's about the person, not the number.

 

[Koolau]

Most of the young folks I interact with are very tied up in their own worlds. Nothing wrong with that, but I don't find much to "keep" from conversations with such folks. (And I'm not interested in buying individual stocks of the Gap or Dick's Sporting Goods.)

Clearly, the young'uns know a lot more than I about technology (IT, etc.) I learn from them - especially DD.

I gladly listen to the kid's talk about their lives, but I don't glean much - as I've been there and done that (got the T-shirt.) IF they ask advice, I give it, but it's rare. I think most of us just have to go through life and learn as we go. The young people are gaining the knowledge that they would perhaps like to pass on to the next generation or two. BUT, whether that generation will be in the mood to listen is still unknown.

By the way, this is NOT a rant. More of an observation, but YMMV.

 

[target2019]

Throughout my entire career and adult life I observed older friends and colleagues and saw characteristics I did not like and vowed never to become.

Do you listen to younger people around you? What I mean is do you actually listen and digest and then think about what they have to say? Peter Lynch used to find growth stocks by asking his young children what they thought about stores at the mall or products in the marketplace in order to find the next big growth stock.

I've always listened to younger minds, even children. Developmental Psychology is the basis of what occurs in living persons as they mature. If you understand the best and worst of a person, you may be ablle to shift their behavior to a growth cycle.

Unfortunately, social media and political factions have a great foothold in the minds of youth.

I do think, and have seen, that seeds planted in a young mind do in fact have a lasting effect.

 

[Andre1969]

A lot of them do seem to be tied up in their own little worlds, and thinking their problems are unique. For instance, I know a younger guy who's 21. Ended up dropping out of college, but thankfully no college debt. He works for his father's construction company doing manual labor, and makes $16/hr. He complains about how hard it is for his generation, because he could not afford to move out on his own. The average apartment where he lives is something like $1600 starting, for a 1br.

But, get this. When I was 21, I couldn't afford to move out on my own, either! I was in college, and had taken a break from work a few weeks after my 20th birthday in 1990. I did a brief stint that my friend's Dad got me over the winter of 1990-91, and then in August of 2021, I finally started working, part time, at a department store called Hecht's. They were owned by the May Company, and I think they're all Macy's now.

Anyway, when I was his age, I was making $6.50/hr. I didn't actually move out on my own until after I had graduated college, and then some. I was 24. At that point, I was making $10.50/hr at a full-time job with McDonnell-Douglas Space Systems (bought out by Boeing) and still had the part time job in the evenings, up to around maybe $7.50-8/hr by now. My mortgage was around $795/mo, condo fee another $119.58 on top of that, and then I had the joy of an electric bill that was about twice what I budgeted for, and cable/phone bills all higher than I expected, etc.

I also pointed out to him that I know people who are Millennials, Gen-X, and even Baby Boomers who couldn't afford a $1600/mo apartment.

He also complains about how high car insurance is, for a young person. But he doesn't want to hear it when I tell him that's because he totaled a Chrysler minivan, then he did a good little number on a Nissan Rogue, and for good measure also wrecked one of his father's work trucks. But, of course, facts get in the way.

Anyway, for comparison, I can still remember my first car insurance bill. January 19, 1987. The bill for a full year, for liability-only on the 1980 Malibu coupe my Mom gave me, was $1,361.00. I was 16 at the time. Adjusting for inflation, that's like $3655 today!

Yes, I get it. A lot of them have it hard today. But what they don't realize, is that it wasn't always easy for us back in the day, either. Some of us had it easy, some had it hard; we weren't all one unified group.

 

[COcheesehead]

Since I retired I have worked part time at two local wineries. The first was owned and run by a 38 year old woman. Super smart with money and business.
The second is owned and run by a 27 year old female winemaker and artist also super smart and worldly beyond her years.
So yes, I listen to young people. Some are way beyond where I was at their age. To them I am the old guy. LOL.
To flip the question a bit, many in my generation have learned helplessness. Some older folks can’t or won’t do things especially technology based that can actually make their life easier.

 

[38Chevy454]

I will listen to anyone that has intelligence and can carry on a meaningful conversation. That applies to young and old. I do find many younger people are more knowledgeable in some areas than me, especially as pointed out by others in the technology field. But overall life experiences and education from the school of hard knocks seems more valuable to me. It is fine to have a bunch of school knowledge, but knowing how to apply that knowledge takes time. A co-worker once said to me, a young engineer out of school has a great toolbox, but that young engineer does not know how to use all of those tools yet. I think that applies to listening to young people, how good do they know how to apply that knowledge?

 

[Koolau]

Yeah, I get tired of hearing young ones whine. They look at us and think "they've got it made" and so we have. BUT it took 50 years to get here. They want everything NOW. One young person whined to me about how much his phone plan was (waving around his $800 phone.) I was done with that conversation. YMMV

 

[audreyh1]

My DSIL is young enough to be my daughter. I enjoy her and her children. We often visit with their friends too.

We run into lots of young naturalists around here. I really enjoy them.

No whining young people around here. And we have lots of young people, big extended families in this very Latino part of the country. The whiners/complainers I hear are mostly older people, predominantly snowbirds.

 

[Charlotte]

One of my favorite things about my neighborhood book club is that the women’s ages range from 35-75. It makes for great conversations and perspectives and I think everyone appreciates that.

 

[tmm99]

I listen to young people and even value their opinions, but I met a few men who are around 20 years old who act so cocky and arrogant. Maybe they are that insecure or what. They can get annoying, but they seem to calm down once I spend enough time with them.

 

[tmm99]

I hang around with people who are between 23 and 33 as I play group sports with them. They are all educated and working. A couple of them still live with their folks. I enjoy talking with them. They are a fun bunch. I'm kind of grateful that they treat me like one of them, but some of their jokes and lingo go right over my head.