Hi, Jon - thanks for commenting:)

You are right on regarding the value of sharing experiences.  Some of my most insightful moments have come while sharing and listening to others.  I find value both in the views of someone from a different generalizational grouping and from someone of my age (more or less) who has experienced life differently.

A sidebar:  In other job, I spent a lot of time in and around residential facilities for older adults.  Being youngish and relatively active, I tended to disregard those older residents as caricatures.  At some point, our facilities started creating "memory boards" by the entrance to each person's apartment, which were filled with photographs and other memorabilia.

This served a dual purpose:  the immediate need was to help those whose mental capacities were diminishing to remember where they live, by putting familiar and important images by the entrance.  The "uber" result was that anyone passing by gained a much fuller and richer perception of those who dwelt within.

We were all reminded that we were looking at a life, full of events, meaning, and love ... not just a person who is at the end of the trail.  We were encouraged to ask and listen to stories that sometimes took my breath away.

You are right ... we all need to share and listen more often:)

John