My sixty eight years old mother (if you read my last post you’d know we don’t hide our age) is so hook in technology she always wants to know about the latest thing, even if she is going to use it or not. She wants to know how it works and what it is used for.
She graduated as a Chemistry Engineer and worked in the field for some years after graduation, but somehow ten years later she chose Human Resources or it chose her. At that point she was a worker and became the boss of the HR department at the Food Industry Company for the country.
It was there when I saw her passion for new things, read all the company’s laws to help her co-workers and subordinates. She spent nights working trying to solve every problem she could.
Technology wasn’t that advanced at the time but she always managed to get a new vision on how to do things a better way, less hassle and more time used helping than filling up paperwork.
That`s when computers were introduced to her and a whole new world opened in front of her. She could fill up forms, keep important information in the hard drive, memory sticks and so on, without the need to spend hours writing it up. If my mind doesn’t betray me she was in her late forties and she never once said “I can’t do it” or “it’s too hard for me”. It was like the mere idea of having something new to manage her work, she had to conquer it.
And that’s how I carry my life, I don’t care about my age to accomplish or learn new things. I left my job at thirty seven to start a new career and a Master. I don’t think about how old I feel, look or I actually am, I just think of doing and learning something new and fulfilling my passion.
I was in a meeting a few months back and I was introducing new ideas, not that I’m actually an eager user of that program I was talking about but I know it works in specific situations and when you want to reach a determined audience. My idea fell flat which is totally ok with me. But the excuse I got was –
“I don’t know how to use that, I’m from another generation.”
Immediately I thought of my mom. How she never, ever complaint about her age and still doesn’t.
If there is a new technology, a new idea, a new way of doing things today at her sixty eight years old she still wants to learn about it. And here I have this woman (late forties maybe fifties) in front of me telling me she doesn’t want to get involve in something new because it’s not her generation.
It’s ok to let young people do their thing, but at what point we have to stop our mind, or desire, our passion to allow the new generation to shine?
- Can’t we all survive in this world together?
- Can’t we all learn from each other?
- Can’t we all just live until the last minute without the need to feel or being told how old we are?
Point
