Fluency of Living
Fluency in a language is simply a matter of experience, with repeated use of language it becomes possible for a listener to predict in advance the conclusion of a sentence, whilst someone who is beginning in a language must devote a huge amount of time to trying to translate each word individually and then from those words derive a meaning. A much longer process.The same is true of the very experience of being.
Wisdom is simply a measure of how fluent an individual is at life and as with languages it only comes with practice.
The Folly of Youth
Young people are dumb, not because they are intrinsically stupid, but simply because they have not had the experience and practice necessary. Folly is not strictly a function of age as different individuals will acquire fluency at different rates, but there is a definite correlation.
Educating Young People
The process of educating a young mind is therefore a multi-layered affair; the same information is repeated over a number of years with ever increasing complexity.
Let us take the example of what is an electron?
At 14 an electron is a negatively charged particle.
At 14 an electron is a negatively charged particle.
By 18 an electron is a dual wave/particle which can best be expressed by defining an area (termed an orbital) which represents a 90% - 95% probability of containing the mass of the electron at any given time.
And probably it is even more complicated than that if one were to pursue such studies.
The degree of accuracy in expressing the truth has increased to coincide with the increased ability of the individual to comprehend; and most 18 year olds are not taught what an electron actually is, because it is completely unnecessary knowledge for most people to possess and therefore not particularly of any interest.
The Exploitation of Youth
It is therefore no coincidence that some of the more non-sensical thoughts are inflicted upon young people, not only do they lack the wisdom to know immediately what is nonsense, but many are left in the care of people who really don't care about the child. Nannies and teachers are just doing a job, and as with all employees will utilize a minimum possible amount of energy in pursuit of their work and will only aim to meet an ever decreasing level (in the case of teachers at least) of expectation.
Babies are born hopefully to caring adults who will cherish and protect them, and the experience of being cared for engenders in children a belief that big people are good. But a baby has no way of comparing their individual experience with the range of other experiences available and so whatever experience they have will be consider "normal" through simple normative bias.
An average 2 year old does not know the difference between a parent telling them no, because they are protecting the best interests of the child or whether they are being told no for another reason; no simply means no.
They also do not know how to identify an adult who will act in the child's best interest or an adult who is acting in the adult's best interest.
An interesting way of looking at the issues of "yoof"
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