In his delightful book ‘The Mantram Handbook’, spiritual writer Eknath Easwaran says:
‘In my university days, when my students would call some white-haired member of the faculty an old fogy, I used to tell them that fogyishness is not confined to any particular age group. There are old people who are fogies, but I have seen young fogies, too. The fogy is anyone who cannot change his opinions, who is locked into old habits and cannot yield gracefully.’
Today, the Usain Bolt-like pace of technological change has made a lot of people feel redundant as organizations are trying to create ‘millennial-friendly workplaces’ where everything is driven largely by how up-to-date people are with the latest gizmos, apps and technological changes.
On a macro level, if not keeping up with all the latest shifts in technology constitutes ageism, then all of us fall into that bracket yo varying degrees.
With technology changing by the nanosecond, it is impossible to keep abreast with everything that is happening and all the advances that are being made. The number of content streams is ever increasing and we have a nagging feeling of constantly missing out on something.
People who feel threatened by the avalanche of technology and are made to feel like they’re redundant in the new scheme of things must take solace in the fact that even their younger counterparts are grappling with the onslaught of change. The only difference is that, as with all things in life, younger people are more receptive to trying new things and fiddling with new technologies.
When social media first struck, all of us jumped onto the bandwagon. When parents and bosses created accounts for themselves, we thought they were cool.
But social media is only the tip of the iceberg in the new landscape. Being prepared for the new era doesn’t mean downloading all the possible social media apps just to see what they have to offer. In fact, it’s possible to live a very normal and fulfilling life without social media.
Instead of fighting ageism, what needs to be fought is fear.
The fear of not knowing.
The fear of not being able to keep up.
The fear of looking stupid.
The fear of starting over.
The truth is, technology has actually made it much more of a level playing field. Previously, there were hierarchies that were cast in stone. Today, seniors and veterans can do with a lot of reverse mentoring if they want to stay relevant. Everyone is as good as what they know today. If there is another radical change, we’re all back to square one, fogeys and millennials alike.
‘I don’t get it, that’s why it doesn’t make sense’ is one of the surest signs of ageism.
If someone doesn’t understand new technology, a new way of mining data or a better way to use AI to serve their customers, there is no shortage of resources to give them answers.
Not knowing and not making the effort to know are two very different things.
Ageism has very little to do with age and a lot do with how open or closed minded one is.
