“What we honor as prudence in our elders is simply panic in action.”

Simplified Meaning:

Sometimes, when we look up to the careful and cautious decisions that older people make, we think they are being wise. However, what is really happening is that they are worried about things going wrong and are acting out of fear. For example, imagine a grandmother who always tells her grandchild to save money and not spend on fun things. The grandchild thinks the grandmother is very wise. But in truth, the grandmother might remember a time when she had no money and struggled, so she is scared of that happening again. This tells us that what we see as wisdom and careful thinking can also just be people being scared and trying to avoid problems the best way they know how. It’s not always that elders have more knowledge; sometimes, they have more fears because they have lived through hard times. Understanding this can help us be more open-minded and less quick to judge their actions. We can learn to find a balance between being cautious and enjoying life without letting fear control our decisions.