Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
There have been lots of aging male Republican politicians and pundits who've made a point of belittling the young, often female, and sometimes persons of colour who were elected to congress during the midterms late last Fall. The most notable is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, aged 29, who was mocked for a video she made while in college in which she dances. Huh! Dancing in college! What's next! That one backfired as the video went viral and she received a ton of support.
Sadly, there are some aging male Democrats who have been just as dismissive. Screenwriter, director, producer, Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing) encouraged newly elected Democrats to "stop acting like young people". Since when it acting young a problem.
Of course the old people in American politics are doing a fabulous job of running the country, including the 72-year-old in the Oval Office. It got me wondering about the man the United States and many around the world celebrated yesterday, the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. I did some sleuthing and guess what? King was all of 26 when he became involved in the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955, the series of events which gave impetus to the Civil Rights Movement. He was an old man of 34 when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. King went to college when he was 15, and at age 19 he played a lot of pool and smoked a lot of cigarettes but he worked it out.
Greta Thunberg climate activist
I wonder if these aging leaders have given much thought to the age of Jesus when he began his ministry?(probably 30) The disciples may have been in their late teens or early twenties when Jesus called them, which explains both some impetuous behaviour and bold commitment to leave everything to follow him. Oh yes, Mary, the mother of Jesus was almost certainly a teen when she accepted her role and proclaimed the words of hope in the Magnificat of Luke's gospel. And the whole lot of them were kinda brown-skinned and most were peasants.
There are lots of others who figure that young people will be the ones who bring about change in a number of crucial areas, including the climate crisis and I pray this is true. As a Baby Boomer geezer-in-training I'm convinced that we need to repent of our foolish and destructive ways and listen to the youngsters who have the biggest stake in the future.
We sure need a dose of youthful energy in Mainline/Old-line churches. And hey, they might teach us to dance if we're nice to them.
Take a look at this article from The Atlantic about MLK's teen years.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/02/young-martin-luther-king-jr/552512/
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