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It shows up in small moments now.

A meeting where the most experienced voice is interrupted, or ignored, because it’s “taking too long.”

A family dinner where a grandparent starts telling a story and someone reaches for their phone before the first sentence is finished.

A younger professional rolling their eyes at advice they didn’t ask for…, convinced they already know better.

None of it feels dramatic.
None of it feels intentional.

And yet… something important keeps slipping away.

Respect.
Especially respect for our elders.

This Didn’t Disappear Overnight

For most of human history, respect for elders wasn’t a suggestion.

It was foundational.

Elders weren’t valued because they were old.
They were valued because they had seen things.

They had survived hard seasons.
They had buried people.
They had failed, adapted, rebuilt.

They carried lessons you couldn’t Google.
Wisdom you couldn’t shortcut.
Perspective that only time could produce.

To ignore an elder wasn’t just rude.
It was foolish.

Because when life turned hard, and it always did,
you wanted someone nearby who had already lived through it.

So When Did We Decide We Knew Better?

Somewhere along the way, experience lost its seat at the table.

We built a world obsessed with:
Speed.
Efficiency.
Disruption.
The new.

And quietly, we started equating new with better.

We began mistaking confidence for competence.
Volume for insight.
Youth for wisdom.

A hot take started carrying more weight than a hard-earned lesson.
A viral clip started outranking decades of lived reality.

And without realizing it,
we taught ourselves that patience was weakness
and humility was optional.

Young Arrogance Isn’t New

But It’s Never Been More Dangerous

Let’s be honest.

Every generation has its edge of arrogance.
That’s not new.

What is new is how amplified it’s become.

When arrogance used to meet reality, reality usually won.
Time corrected it.
Experience tempered it.

Today, arrogance is rewarded.
It’s monetized.
It’s applauded.

And when arrogance isn’t balanced by respect for experience,
we don’t just lose manners…
we lose continuity.

We stop learning.
We start repeating mistakes.
We confuse motion with progress.

Leadership Is Where This Shows First

You can see this erosion most clearly in leadership.

Organizations that dismiss experience
become reactive instead of thoughtful.

They chase trends.
They burn people out.
They solve the same problems again and again…
just with new buzzwords.

The strongest leaders I’ve known all shared one trait:
They listened with deep respect.

They didn’t assume they were the smartest person in the room.
They sought counsel.
They respected the past without being trapped by it.

They understood something simple and profound:

Wisdom doesn’t slow progress.
It stabilizes it.

What We’re Really at Risk of Losing

This isn’t about nostalgia.
It’s not about going backward.
And it’s certainly not about silencing younger voices.

Every generation brings something vital.

But when respect disappears,
so does humility.

And without humility,
we stop learning from those who came before us.

We lose the bridge between generations.
We lose context.
We lose the reminder that most things worth building
take time…, and usually cost something.

That loss doesn’t show up immediately.
It shows up later.
In broken cultures.
In shallow leadership.
In regret.

Why This Matters Right Now

Look around.

We’re navigating uncertainty.
Division.
Relentless change.

If there was ever a moment that called for wisdom…
real, lived, scar-earned wisdom…
it’s now.

And yet we’re sidelining the very people
who’ve seen cycles repeat,
who know storms pass,
who understand that resilience is learned, not declared.

That contradiction should stop us in our tracks.

A Holiday Season Pause

As we gather this season…
around tables, in homes, across generations,
this feels like a moment to choose differently.

With attention.
With listening.
With curiosity.
With respect.

What if we actually asked our elders questions…,
and waited for the answers?

What if we showed the next generation
that wisdom matters?
That time teaches?
That experience deserves a seat at the table?

Follow Them Again

Respect doesn’t disappear in one loud moment.
And it doesn’t return that way either.

Let’s remember that nothing we stand on today was built alone.
Someone before us paid for the lessons we now take for granted.

Respecting our elders isn’t just necessary for our future…,
it’s the right thing to do.
The human thing.
The honorable thing.

So, for the people who carry the wisdom we keep scrolling past…

Let’s follow them again.
Let’s honor them again.
Let’s respect the ones who came before us.

Because they’re the last people we should ever unfollow.

P.S. If these articles have brought you any kind of value, perspective, or spark…just wait for the book!! Join the waitlist and be part of what’s coming next 👉 Leadership At The Dinner Table.

With Absolute Sincerity,

Ed Clementi
Founder & CEO of Inspired Fire, LLC

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