old v/s elder

Western office culture has brought out the concept of taking first names of all, however we in India are restrictive in practice and often add salutations and greetings ahead. In a general conversation with two of my colleagues wherein I made a statement and didn’t realize as to I had probably crossed the thin line of respect for a colleague who was pretty senior to me. Other colleague of mine said, don’t use this statement for sir at least he is much elder to us, at which that gentleman said oh don’t count me in oldies, I am still young. I quickly responded there is a difference in growing old and behaving elder. It is not necessary for an old person to be elderly. It’s not the age but your attitude towards life and its situation that make you elder, while you may just grow older with time but you only get wiser and elder with experiences and the way you accept or react to situations. You are known elder for the way you behave with others. While you may be surprised by some one young who behaves elderly and you call her/him matured, you may also be under shock seeing behaving some old person in childish manner.

Decide how do you want to grow in life? Old or elder?

Manisha Dawar