Life Experience

Most people tend to associate with people of their own age, ethnicity, and socio-economic group.  It's something that was programmed into us during all of those years of public school where we were locked away for hours a day, isolated with children of the same age.  We learned to almost fear those kids in the older grades.  Sure we may have looked up to them, but never were they allowed to impart any wisdom (at least not any that was condoned) into those of younger grades.  I see the same mindset in adults.  They associate in their little groups of homogeneous age, religion, etc., never opening themselves up to what others different than them selves have to offer.

I guess I am mostly referring to age and life experience here.  I've seen so many people recently take their concerns about parenting specifically, to other parents in the same boat.  For example, why does a mom of a breastfeeding infant ask moms of other breastfeeding infants for information?  It's because we've not been taught to associate with our elders. We spent all of those years stuffed away with our peers.  This isn't just about parenting issues either.  I've seen people do this with money, marriage, just about any life topic. 

It makes a lot more sense to utilize the knowledge of those who've gone before us.  Life experience should be treasured as a special knowledge that can't be found in books or on the internet.  People should seek it out.  Why should we spend so much time wandering and fumbling around in the dark when people are there to flip on the switch for us if we only ask?

I realize I need to follow the suggestions of my own rant.  I'm just feeling like a seriously underutilized resource lately.  Do you realize how many cloth diapers I've washed in my parenting life?  There are just some things better learned from someone who's been there (time and time again) than from a website.

Okay.  I'm putting my soap box away for now.