Jacques Philippe: "The time of pandemic is also an invitation to follow Jesus Christ".Bishop Arrieta, on the reform of the Code: "Now the crimes, the penalties and the way to apply them are well determined".On the afternoon of Wednesday, October 20, the writer, professor and economist Leopoldo Abadía and the influencer Joan Folch, held an interesting discussion on the relationship between young and old.
Leopoldo Abadía, born in Zaragoza, 88 years old, has been married to his wife for 61 years and is the father of 12 children, grandfather of 49 grandchildren and great-grandfather. His work in recent years as a writer is outstanding, after a long career as an economist and professor. He also holds a doctorate in industrial engineering. Talking with him has been Joan Folch, 22 years old, student of the Faculty of Economics at the University of Navarra and influencer, with tens of thousands of followers on Instagram (@jfolchh).
In Spain there are some 9.5 million people over the age of 65, or 20% of the population. Of these, more than two million live alone. Alongside this reality, we find a young population that communicates, mainly through technology and digital media.
If there have been communication gaps in all generations, in recent years, this gap seems to have become more pronounced. How do the old and the young relate to each other? Do we really have such different concepts of life? Is the so-called intergenerational connection possible? Do we speak the same language?
These are some of the issues addressed in this dialogue between Leopoldo Abadía and Joan Folch. The meeting, organized by Omnes and the Centro Académico Romano Foundation, has been broadcast live on YouTube via the Omnes Youtube channel.
Leopoldo began by graciously commenting on his relationship with his grandchildren. "At the beginning, he used to say, the grandchildren should be brought up by their father. But as they got older they would invite me to breakfast, but with the little ones I have a different relationship". He also stressed the need for friendship between young and old, between grandparents and grandchildren, etc. In turn, Joan supported him by commenting that "young people are losing the habit of asking for advice from their elders, resorting more easily to Google". For this reason, both of them claimed the need for a better relationship between both generations, a relationship that can become a friendship.
Along the same lines, Joan commented that young people tend to look for ideal models without paying attention to the voice of experience. And that is why he claimed the importance of going to the elders to learn from them. Leopoldo wanted to emphasize that "the obligatory thing is to have friends. Young, old, whatever they are. But you have to have friends.
After this interesting discussion, the meeting gave way to a question-and-answer session, which arrived via the Omnes WhatsApp number and YouTube.
Among very good questions, in relation to one in particular about the role that young people play in the care of the elderly, Joan assured that young people play a very important role, and that it is a correspondence for all that the elderly have given us. Leopoldo, for his part, stressed that "we live in a selfish society, and that the messages we receive are sometimes totally selfish". In this sense, he said, "sometimes it is necessary to resort to a residence to take care of the elderly, but a priority for young people is to take care of their elders, their parents and grandparents".
At the end of the meeting, Leopoldo emphasized an attitude that he recommended to all those who listened to him: the vital attitude of smiling. An attitude that implies welcoming, loving, respecting.
You can watch the complete meeting by clicking here here.
