“Respect your elders.” Thinking about that phrase, I imagine a stern old lady with frizzy hair and lipstick on her teeth. Coming from a high school student, this statement is more than a bit unexpected, to say the least. Yet, the phrase applies to students as well, considering how intertwined the lives of under– and upperclassmen are.

Now, I know that, as a sophomore, I’m less than qualified to say it to anyone but the freshman class. But I’m using that to my advantage because I’m on both sides of the phrase. I demand respect from freshmen, but I also give respect to my elders, the upperclassmen. I acknowledge the fact that with every year of high school come many new experiences. We change more as people and gain more insight year to year than we will later as adults, because we’re still figuring out who we are. And the change from 14 to 18 is considerably more significant than that from 24 to 28.

With every year come more relationships, more crazy stories, more intense situations, and more knowledge of the world. The seniors have the most authority simply because they are the oldest and have the most experience.

Take froshing, for example. It wouldn’t exist without this idea. But it’s not a negative thing, rather it’s more of a bonding experience for the elders and the youngsters (see a column by this one brilliant writer in issue one). But the tradition is tied into the simple expectation that the freshmen will listen to the seniors. Otherwise, the whole experience would collapse.

Age shouldn’t cause a rift in students, but a certain amount of separation is healthy. At assemblies for Y-E-L-L, for example, or with school-wide traditions like Purple and White. Respect is earned, and each class needs to command a certain bit of respect from the younger students. And the younger students need to listen.

Though the high school seniors I’m referring to as “elders” are still in their prime and will be for years, the real elders of the world are some of the most forgotten people in existence. They’re also some of the wisest, most experienced people that have a story to tell, if anyone is willing to listen.

In ancient times elders were highly respected. Their knowledge and worldly experience captured the attention of adults that needed help running things. In the modern world, however, everything has been taken over by increasingly younger generations, and now youth is everything. Elders with something to say are regarded as crazy, and elders with nothing to say are labeled senile.

My great grandmother had one of the most interesting, adventure-filled lives, packed with hardships and life lessons. She left home at 14 because of malaria, fled in wagons, delivered babies in wartime in Russia, and supported herself her whole life until old age hit and my grandmother had to look after her. She then began to talk about feeling useless, about no one wanting to listen to her, and about not being able to share her knowledge. Her only outlet was her amazing poetry that barely anyone read.

Our grandparents and great grandparents have such a wealth of knowledge that we have not yet amassed in our lifetimes. Though they might have a slightly outdated view on life, they have learned lessons that could be incredibly helpful to us as well, with a little modern tweaking.

I know I didn’t always appreciate sitting through her stories, though now I realize that I really did learn a lot. The times she lived through will never come back, but the lessons she learned we will all experience at one time or another. From her I learned that loyalty is one of the most important virtues, that as long as you’re confident and fight for yourself you will get what you need, and that old shouldn’t mean forgotten.

Elders, whether 18 or 91, always have more experience and knowledge that they can share if you open your ears and expand your mind. Give them respect and learn from them, or before you know it they’ll be gone.