This is our second in a series of exploring what it means to think “younger than that now.” In yesterday’s Catch we looked into:

You take more chances.

You don’t have to know everything.

You can do some things just for fun.

Today we look at:

You don’t have to play by the rules. When we say we don’t have to “play by the rules” we don’t mean disregard for the laws of God. Ambivalence for the rules of tradition is more what we mean here. Jesus let his disciples pick grain on the Sabbath because rules like that are extracurricular brownie points which amount to nothing more than pride markers on the road to heaven. The Pharisees had tons of these; Jesus loved to step all over them. The “rules” we speak of here are the traditions and social mores and expectations that make you conform to the status quo. Some of them are religious, and some are social. It’s thinking older to pay attention to the letter of the law; it’s thinking younger to seek out and follow the spirit of the law.

You don’t have to always be right. A person who thinks old seems to always have something to prove; a person who thinks young is always looking for something to learn. Being right is way overrated. If you think this way, you’re the only person who cares about being right about everything; no one else cares whether you are right or not. Being right all the time is often tied to the fear of not being in control. A person who thinks young doesn’t have to be in control.

You understand younger people better. This is pretty obvious, but if you think young, you’re going to understand younger people better. You will find it easier to step into their shoes and see things from their perspective. You will be able to experience empathy for those who are younger than you. You will identify with their fears, their doubts, their aspirations, their obstacles to growth. You will deepen and broaden your experience. You won’t be thinking “I’ve already paid my dues. The world is way beyond my understanding, but I won’t be around much longer so I don’t have to care about it.” You will care about it. You will care about climate change and dwindling resources, and global politics, and what kind of world your generation is going to leave behind.

This list is by no means complete. Maybe you would like to add to it.

Tomorrow we will look at:

You are less judgmental.

You are more forgiving.

You are more trusting of others.

You might even like playing tricks on somebody.