As one ages, one becomes more aware of change and instability; one sees generation after generation repeating the same mistakes; one becomes more vulnerable and susceptible to illness and frailty.
One would think that such awareness would increase one's wisdom and broaden one's sympathies for those coming up in the world. For many it does. But many others get stuck in thinking that their way is the right way, obsesses with protecting their personal benefits.
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I don't really understand why age turns some people sour and hateful, narrows their focus rather than widening it, and leaves them with no sympathy for anyone except themselves and perhaps a few friends.
What kind of life experience leads one to lose wisdom rather than to gain it?
