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Good morning, The Book of Ecclesiastes says ‘It is better to be a poor but wise youth than an old and foolish king who refuses all advice.’ And yet we seem to be living in a world where old, foolish and dangerous leaders are asking increasingly impossible things of young people. The New York Times recently gave its entire front page over to transcripts of intercepted calls made home by young Russian soldiers in the first weeks of the Ukrainian invasion. Most are unsuitable for broadcast, but the overall picture is one of young soldiers appalled at what they’ve been instructed to do and misled by their supposed superiors. One transcript reads: “Mum, there are bodies everywhere. This is messed up. They said it was a training exercise. But they have told us to kill everyone. They lied to us. Putin is a fool.” Meanwhile, in Iran, young women and girls are refusing to obey the instruction given by their elders as to how to live their lives. After the death of a protester, 16-year-old, Massa Amini, schoolgirls are defiantly chanting ‘Woman, Life, Freedom,’ at incredible risk to themselves. The response from the authorities? Tear gas, arrests and beatings. In both cases, these youths are being failed. The world seems to have too many old men (and it is mainly men) generals, religious leaders, presidents - sitting in command centres, palaces or government offices, far away from real life, ordering young people – even children - to carry out their impossible instructions. The biblical narrative is clear about what will happen if an older generation burdens its youth. Warning that it will provoke them to wrath. Jesus’s line on this is stark: if anyone causes the young to go astray or stumble, it would be better for them to be dumped in the sea with a millstone around their neck. Those with responsibility are asked to instruct the youth in the ways of life. So that when the young are old they will do the same for their young. But give them instructions that go against all conscience and lead to death and the young will either breakdown or breakout in protest. If you tolerate this, then your children will be next. There is often a disconnect between the expectations of the old and the hopes of the young. In many places the conversation between the generations has broken down. For some there doesn’t even seem to be a conversation. But ways need to be found for it to happen. There are nearly 2 billion young people between the age of 10 and 22 in this world. And many have something helpful to say about the way we should go. For age doesn’t have a monopoly on wisdom. Again, it is better to hear from a poor but wise youth than an old and foolish leader who refuses all advice.