Elders are respected in Botswana

Anyone coming to Botswana from the western world will quickly see the respect that is given towards the elders.  At the handing over ceremony in Maposa, all the village elders were asked to stand and everyone recognized them. This gentleman pictured above was one of the eldest members of the village so he was asked to share the history of Maposa.  History is passed down by story telling and the elders are respected for their experiences and wisdom gained from life. We at natavillage.org wish that people in the so called "developed" world would learn a lesson from Botswana and recognize the knowledge and wisdom that elders bring. 

Comments

[Sam H]

Wow, this post sure does make you step back and think. It is so great to see that in this small village, people have such high respect for their elders. In today’s world elders are not respected nearly as much as they should be. Children disobey their parents, their teachers, their grandparents, and any other person in authority and we look at it and say it’s bad, but do nothing about it. Sure some kids may get a spanking now and then for not doing what they are told, but that does not seem to be working. We need to stand up for our elders and show them the respect they deserve. I feel like people in our day and age do not give elders the time of day. They do what they can to assist them, but they do not necessarily respect them. Looking at Botswana and seeing that those people realize that their elders are special, and that they are much more experienced and much wiser than they will ever be, is so great. It is interesting to me that people in our “advanced world” cannot see the respect we need to show, but the people in a world of poverty and strife see it and act on it. I think this is because they realize what they have is a gift, but we take so much for granted, including our elders