May laugh at the old, but never at the young.

  Experience and knowledge which usually comes with age and tells us what has happened. So we form strong opinions on what works and what does not, what is good or what is bad. We become fixed in our mind and we rigidly assume what happened in the past will happen in the future. 

In a sense we believe we have arrived at that intellectual destination where we smugly feel that we need little or no new learning. Almost impossible for adults to imagine a future much different from the past and the present.

This is the exact opposite of the inherent childlike trait we all possess. A child is intensely curious, full of ideas,  fantasies and dreams. 

The wise say 'Imagination is more powerful than knowledge'. While our knowledge is limited, our imagination can be infinite.  The young imagine more and thus have dreams so fantastic that the old cannot even begin to comprehend. 

Where the mind goes so the body easily follows provided there is passion and sincerity.  Strength, stamina, energy and passion the young have in abundance. They may have little to show for it today, but these are all the ingredients necessary for future success.

We have to remember that the young do not know what they cannot do nor achieve, and this is why they often achieve what seems to the old, 'the impossible'.

Interesting Links:

What really is Experience, and its importance to Success? - Guru Wonder