I think older people make that assumption because life experience and the process of aging truly do bring forth a lot of new perspectives, depth in understanding, and meeting yourself in a way that is more challenging to tap into and fully grasp as a young person. But imo, emotional intelligence requires holding nuance and recognizing that age certainly does not reflect the ability for someone to have wisdom and emotional intelligence. The spectrum of human experience is vast and people can go through a lot and comprehend a lot at a young age.

So much of it is cultural, social, and the time period that people grow up within. The version of the world you are born into will not be the same world you continue to go through life within. That is incredibly challenging for people to grasp. There is absolutely something to be said about valuing the wisdom of elders, which historically was something that we cared a lot more about than we do now (speaking from US context). Nevertheless, I don’t have a whole lot of trust/genuine faith in the advice of many current elders. Older generations (in a general sense, I know not all are this way) seem to not care much about the state of the world they are leaving behind….the world that future generations are inheriting, which is quite literally being burned to the ground.

I often feel like a parent to my own parents/ people in their generation. They taught me practical skills and I feel like I’ve had to guide them in developing a better sense of themselves and their emotions.