Last week, I had dinner with a guy who made a funny comment that have got me thinking ever since that time. The guy was giving an analysis of the BREXIT vote and said that the decision was made largely by old people. Then he went further to say that those kind of decisions should not be made by old people since they may not be around to bear the consequences.
And when I considered that further, it moved from comedy into a serious issue that requires careful consideration.
In our electoral process, we don’t usually allow people less than 18 years to vote because we think they are not matured enough to make such critical decisions. But shouldn’t the same be true for people who are far advanced in age?
Because elections are about the future and arguably, based on the natural progression of life and all things held equal, older people have less stake in the future than younger people. So shouldn’t that decision be made only or largely by younger people?
I don’t have an age range but I think it is something that we ought to consider in the larger scheme of things.
At a certain age, we should be allowed to only observe the process and let those who will have to live with the consequences make those decisions.
Look at England for example, when the consequences of BREXIT become eminent, those older people who made the decision would be long gone. It will be the young people, who are more global and progressive in their outlook, that will have to live with the consequences.
Again, because the intention of this blog is to provoke a debate, you are not wrong to comment…
James F. Kollie, Jr. 
Well written piece and you have surely started off something in my head. It makes total sense!
LikeLike
I absolutely believe this post has a logical basis for us as a nation to think about critically. The young folks constitute a majority of the population who are mostly affected by many political decisions. They should be given the opportunity to select those leaders who will be making decisions taking into consideration the triple down effects their policies will have on the upcoming generation. Let’s us allow sound minded young people at the age of at least 16 to perticipate in the process of selecting their leaders.
LikeLike