ABSTRACT
Throughout most of human history the oldest members of the community have been in charge. Until the advent of reading and writing, the oldest were the most valuable because they had had the most experience and had accumulated the most knowledge of how to survive and live. The young, who often did not survive into adult life, were of much less value. Over the last three thousand years this changed slowly, with more power devolving to younger adults. In the last hundred years this shift has accelerated rapidly. Information storage systems developed slowly over time, from the scroll through to the book; only elders of church and state and their scribes had access to the knowledge they contained. Now in the computer age, as knowledge has been synthesised and stored in books and internet websites, anyone of any age has access to the world’s knowledge store. The old no longer have a monopoly on knowledge and thereby power. In politics in the USA, the Senate where the senex (Latin for elder) meet to discuss and plan have for a long time been usurped by the thrusting youngers of the House of Representatives. This pattern is mirrored across society as grandparents lose power and devolve their traditional roles, becoming baby-sitters or home helps to the powerful careers of their children. When no longer needed for that, or when too demanding or time-consuming to be easily cared for, they are devolved further away from the heart of the family into ‘ghettoes’ known as old people’s homes. What has been lost in these changes?
