Disarm

One of the most persistent pet peeves of mine is when I witness an older person bullying those who are younger than them. And the younger their victim is, the more angry I become. It reminds me of a friend I once had growing up whose father relentlessly abused them. I was too cowardly then to stand up for the poor kid, but if I could now, there would be several choice words on my part.

First of all, I would tell such a person to pick on someone their own size. It's too easy to bully the young, who have less experience in life, and who are no match for an adult's sophistication. That is probably why it happens so much, even when one learns very little from such noxious behavior.

But beyond that, blaming all your problems on someone half your age makes no logical sense either. For half your life the target of your ire never even existed, and yet you still had precisely the same problems you struggle with today. How then could they possibly be the root cause of your suffering?

So I realize this probably falls upon deaf ears, but any adult who is mistreating their younger counterpart needs to take a long, hard look in the mirror, and ask themselves whether they are truly doing the right thing, whether for themselves or for others.